]]>09:36nodaily,meditation,practiceGlenn Younger - Connecting with Her Divine Soul (interview)Wed, 03 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000Glenn had been on a spiritual path for a long time. She started meditating in college with her roommate. She studied with amazing teachers, learning to trust her intuition more and more.

She found herself letting go over and over again. She let go of control and listened more to her inner guidance. She let go of her fears and limitations. During one particular meditation, she let go of everything and met her Divine Soul.

It had a profound effect on her inner and outer life. Inwardly, she experienced a deep love and connection beyond anything she had known before. Outwardly, she travelled the world and became a spiritual teacher.

Listen to Glenn’s story of what this process has been like for her, what shifted because of that connection to her Divine Soul, and how she is now helping other people connect to their Divine Souls.

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>Glenn had been on a spiritual path for a long time. She started meditating in college with her roommate. She studied with amazing teachers, learning to trust her intuition more and more.

She found herself letting go over and over again. She let go of control and listened more to her inner guidance. She let go of her fears and limitations. During one particular meditation, she let go of everything and met her Divine Soul.

It had a profound effect on her inner and outer life. Inwardly, she experienced a deep love and connection beyond anything she had known before. Outwardly, she travelled the world and became a spiritual teacher.

Listen to Glenn’s story of what this process has been like for her, what shifted because of that connection to her Divine Soul, and how she is now helping other people connect to their Divine Souls.

]]>39:14nodaily,meditation,practiceToni Fraser Brennand - Meditation Before, During and After Pregnancy (interview)Wed, 27 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000Toni just kind of fell into meditating. Her husband had learned to meditate and his teacher offered to teach Toni, too. The benefits were fast, clear and almost too good to be true.

She continued to study, and soon became a teacher as did her husband. Her whole life shifted in many amazing ways. And when she got pregnant, meditation became a natural support both for her and her baby.

Toni now teaches this meditation technique to pregnant women. It helps them bond with their baby during pregnancy. It can be used during labor and delivery. Even more, it provides a valuable aid to adjusting to life as a new parent.

Listen to Toni’s story of what this practice has been like for her, how her practice has helped her as a new mother, and how anyone can benefit from this practice.

In this interview, Toni shares:

the benefits she found from this meditation practice

what happens when she tries to meditate during her son’s naptime

how this practice helped her during her labor, delivery and recovery

the trust she found in her own mothering instincts from doing this practice

how she uses this practice on days when she hasn’t gotten much sleep

why she teaches it’s about getting out of the way and letting the practice do its work

Resources to Connect with Toni:

]]>Toni just kind of fell into meditating. Her husband had learned to meditate and his teacher offered to teach Toni, too. The benefits were fast, clear and almost too good to be true.

She continued to study, and soon became a teacher as did her husband. Her whole life shifted in many amazing ways. And when she got pregnant, meditation became a natural support both for her and her baby.

Toni now teaches this meditation technique to pregnant women. It helps them bond with their baby during pregnancy. It can be used during labor and delivery. Even more, it provides a valuable aid to adjusting to life as a new parent.

Listen to Toni’s story of what this practice has been like for her, how her practice has helped her as a new mother, and how anyone can benefit from this practice.

In this interview, Toni shares:

the benefits she found from this meditation practice

what happens when she tries to meditate during her son’s naptime

how this practice helped her during her labor, delivery and recovery

the trust she found in her own mothering instincts from doing this practice

how she uses this practice on days when she hasn’t gotten much sleep

why she teaches it’s about getting out of the way and letting the practice do its work

]]>39:08nodaily,meditation,pregnancy,parenting,practiceNicole Liloia - Exploring the Many Forms of Journaling (interview)Wed, 20 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000Nicole Liloia was given a beautiful travel journal just before a two month trip to Venezuela. She had just quit a stressful job, and it gave her a chance to step back and reassess her life.

She didn’t continue journaling at home, but picked up the habit again a few years later. She started with simple things - tracking new habits she wanted to develop and noticing meaningful moments in her day. Journaling helped her keep to her new habits, and made her more aware of all the good things in her life.

She developed a daily writing habit, and continued to explore different possibilities for her journaling. Sometimes she came up with ideas she wanted to share in her business. Sometimes she wrote mantras over and over again. Sometimes she used journaling prompts to dive deeper and see aspects of her life she had been avoiding.

Listen to Nicole’s story of all the ways she has explored journaling, the many benefits she has seen from her practice, and her best advice to start a journaling practice of your own.

In this interview, Nicole shares:

her favorite website to help you develop a daily journaling practice

why she doesn’t have a particular structure for her journaling practice

why she created her book of journaling prompts and what she got out of doing the process for herself

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>Nicole Liloia was given a beautiful travel journal just before a two month trip to Venezuela. She had just quit a stressful job, and it gave her a chance to step back and reassess her life.

She didn’t continue journaling at home, but picked up the habit again a few years later. She started with simple things - tracking new habits she wanted to develop and noticing meaningful moments in her day. Journaling helped her keep to her new habits, and made her more aware of all the good things in her life.

She developed a daily writing habit, and continued to explore different possibilities for her journaling. Sometimes she came up with ideas she wanted to share in her business. Sometimes she wrote mantras over and over again. Sometimes she used journaling prompts to dive deeper and see aspects of her life she had been avoiding.

Listen to Nicole’s story of all the ways she has explored journaling, the many benefits she has seen from her practice, and her best advice to start a journaling practice of your own.

In this interview, Nicole shares:

her favorite website to help you develop a daily journaling practice

why she doesn’t have a particular structure for her journaling practice

why she created her book of journaling prompts and what she got out of doing the process for herself

]]>28:24nodaily,practice,journalingAlex Mill - From Zen Monk to Zen Life Coach (interview)Wed, 13 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000Alex followed his girlfriend and her friend into a new age bookstore (someplace he wouldn’t normally be caught dead in). He felt called to pick up a book on Zen Buddhism and start reading. He was amazed.

The author was talking about all the things he was dealing with in his life. He thought he had it all (the job, the apartment, the girlfriend), but he was still unhappy. He knew he needed more of this information, so he started to study and meditate.

Eventually he entered a Zen monastery. He settled into the routine there, meditating, studying and running retreats with the other monks. After nearly 14 years, he felt pulled to leave the monastery and start a business so he could share what he had learned with a larger audience.

Listen to Alex’s story of how he became a monk, what he learned from the experience and how he is sharing that wisdom through his Zen life coaching business.

In this interview, Alex shares:

the moment he first connected to Zen Buddhism

why paying for life coaching is such an important part of the process.

the value of making and keeping commitments to yourself and others

what his personal practice looks like now that he is out of the monastery

his advice for how long to start meditating

the app he uses to help him stay mindful when he’s on the computer

the more relatable word he prefers for the classic Buddhist term “suffering”

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>Alex followed his girlfriend and her friend into a new age bookstore (someplace he wouldn’t normally be caught dead in). He felt called to pick up a book on Zen Buddhism and start reading. He was amazed.

The author was talking about all the things he was dealing with in his life. He thought he had it all (the job, the apartment, the girlfriend), but he was still unhappy. He knew he needed more of this information, so he started to study and meditate.

Eventually he entered a Zen monastery. He settled into the routine there, meditating, studying and running retreats with the other monks. After nearly 14 years, he felt pulled to leave the monastery and start a business so he could share what he had learned with a larger audience.

Listen to Alex’s story of how he became a monk, what he learned from the experience and how he is sharing that wisdom through his Zen life coaching business.

In this interview, Alex shares:

the moment he first connected to Zen Buddhism

why paying for life coaching is such an important part of the process.

the value of making and keeping commitments to yourself and others

what his personal practice looks like now that he is out of the monastery

his advice for how long to start meditating

the app he uses to help him stay mindful when he’s on the computer

the more relatable word he prefers for the classic Buddhist term “suffering”

]]>11:58nodaily,meditation,heart,practiceAmelia Aeon Karris - Spiritual Teacher and Entrepreneur (interview)Wed, 06 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000Amelía was a busy, successful entrepreneur when she met a couple from Japan during a business event. She felt a strong connection to them, so when they asked if she’d like to meditate with them, she gave it a try.

Because of the language barrier, they would mostly sit together in silence. Amelía wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but she felt herself changing. After the meditations, the couple would teach her more about what was happening.

After 10 years, she experienced a big breakthrough. She became clear that she wanted to share more of what she had learned and continued to discover. She gradually shifted her business activities to make this practice the exclusive focus of her work in the world.

Listen to Amelía’s story of what this practice has given her personally, her life purpose that she has discovered with this practice, and how she is building a business to share this work with the world.

And be sure to check out her recorded meditation practice so you can experience this meditation for yourself.

Resources to Connect with Amelía:

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>Amelía was a busy, successful entrepreneur when she met a couple from Japan during a business event. She felt a strong connection to them, so when they asked if she’d like to meditate with them, she gave it a try.

Because of the language barrier, they would mostly sit together in silence. Amelía wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but she felt herself changing. After the meditations, the couple would teach her more about what was happening.

After 10 years, she experienced a big breakthrough. She became clear that she wanted to share more of what she had learned and continued to discover. She gradually shifted her business activities to make this practice the exclusive focus of her work in the world.

Listen to Amelía’s story of what this practice has given her personally, her life purpose that she has discovered with this practice, and how she is building a business to share this work with the world.

And be sure to check out her recorded meditation practice so you can experience this meditation for yourself.

]]>40:41nobusiness,daily,meditation,practiceLaura Licata - Bringing Forth Her Unlimited Potential with Chanting (interview)Wed, 29 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000Laura had just moved out of her parent’s house, and was feeling anxious and depressed. On day, she heard her roommate chanting. When she looked in, her roommate asked Laura to come in and join her.

Laura sat down and started chanting out loud with her roommate. She immediately felt a rush of energy in her body. She felt hopeful again and believed that she could overcome any difficulty she was facing.

She continued to practice every day, sometimes just repeating the chant three times, sometimes practicing for hours. She experienced profound shifts in her inner experience - more happiness, confidence and energy. She also connected to deep wisdom that helped guide her to find solutions she couldn’t imagine on her own.

Listen to Laura’s story of what it’s been like for her to do this chanting practice, all

the changes she’s seen in her life, and how she has opened up to more and more of her potential every day.

In this interview, Laura shares:

the origin of her chanting practice

the way she proved to herself that she could create whatever she wanted by chanting

how her community supports her practice

how this practice supports world peace

how this practice has changed her and the people around her

the happiness she has found with this practice (even when she’s feeling depressed or anxious)

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>Laura had just moved out of her parent’s house, and was feeling anxious and depressed. On day, she heard her roommate chanting. When she looked in, her roommate asked Laura to come in and join her.

Laura sat down and started chanting out loud with her roommate. She immediately felt a rush of energy in her body. She felt hopeful again and believed that she could overcome any difficulty she was facing.

She continued to practice every day, sometimes just repeating the chant three times, sometimes practicing for hours. She experienced profound shifts in her inner experience - more happiness, confidence and energy. She also connected to deep wisdom that helped guide her to find solutions she couldn’t imagine on her own.

Listen to Laura’s story of what it’s been like for her to do this chanting practice, all

the changes she’s seen in her life, and how she has opened up to more and more of her potential every day.

In this interview, Laura shares:

the origin of her chanting practice

the way she proved to herself that she could create whatever she wanted by chanting

how her community supports her practice

how this practice supports world peace

how this practice has changed her and the people around her

the happiness she has found with this practice (even when she’s feeling depressed or anxious)

]]>35:47nodaily,buddhism,practice,chantingLizzy Hurwitz - Building Courage with Tibetan Buddhist Meditation (interview)Wed, 22 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000When Lizzy’s brother-in-law was diagnosed with a terminal illness, it turned the family upside down. They had to learn how to care for him during his 12 year illness and ultimate death. They also had to learn how to take care of themselves with all these new and unexpected responsibilities.

At that point, Lizzy had already been meditating for 25 years. She had teachers she loved and respected, but something was still missing for her. She had yet to find a practice where she could freely share all aspects of herself.

She connected with a Tibetan Buddhist lama. He had been born in Tibet in 1939, and studied with many of the teachers who tutored the current Dalai Lama. He was funny and open, and he helped her deepen and broaden her meditative practices.

Listen to Lizzy’s story of what it had been like to study with this lama for the last 22 years and how the practices she does have helped her find the courage to work with people facing death and their caregivers.

In this interview, Lizzy shares:

all the amazing teachers she has studied with over the last 36 years

how her Tibetan teacher learned English after coming to the US

what she learned from her teacher’s expression “Not too tight, not too loose”

]]>When Lizzy’s brother-in-law was diagnosed with a terminal illness, it turned the family upside down. They had to learn how to care for him during his 12 year illness and ultimate death. They also had to learn how to take care of themselves with all these new and unexpected responsibilities.

At that point, Lizzy had already been meditating for 25 years. She had teachers she loved and respected, but something was still missing for her. She had yet to find a practice where she could freely share all aspects of herself.

She connected with a Tibetan Buddhist lama. He had been born in Tibet in 1939, and studied with many of the teachers who tutored the current Dalai Lama. He was funny and open, and he helped her deepen and broaden her meditative practices.

Listen to Lizzy’s story of what it had been like to study with this lama for the last 22 years and how the practices she does have helped her find the courage to work with people facing death and their caregivers.

In this interview, Lizzy shares:

all the amazing teachers she has studied with over the last 36 years

how her Tibetan teacher learned English after coming to the US

what she learned from her teacher’s expression “Not too tight, not too loose”

]]>39:03nodaily,meditation,buddhism,practice,tibetanSky Kier - Finding Ease with Transcendental Meditation (interview)Wed, 15 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000Sky Kier was working hard in college. He was a psychology/theater double major with plans to go to law school. He would get up at 5:30 in the morning to run, determined to do whatever it took to be the best man he could be.

One of Sky’s professors recommended a course on Transcendental Meditation. Because he respected this man so much, Sky decided to give it a try. Just like everything else in his life, he was determined to do it with everything he had.

What he found was that it was not about trying harder. It was about finding a place of ease and relaxation with his practice. Once he had made that shift, he was able to start enjoying his practice and experiencing the many benefits of TM.

Listen to his whole story of what it was like to learn TM, how it has shifted his world view and what he’s gotten from his practice over the last 30 years.

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>Sky Kier was working hard in college. He was a psychology/theater double major with plans to go to law school. He would get up at 5:30 in the morning to run, determined to do whatever it took to be the best man he could be.

One of Sky’s professors recommended a course on Transcendental Meditation. Because he respected this man so much, Sky decided to give it a try. Just like everything else in his life, he was determined to do it with everything he had.

What he found was that it was not about trying harder. It was about finding a place of ease and relaxation with his practice. Once he had made that shift, he was able to start enjoying his practice and experiencing the many benefits of TM.

Listen to his whole story of what it was like to learn TM, how it has shifted his world view and what he’s gotten from his practice over the last 30 years.

]]>45:01nodaily,meditation,practice,transcendentalWendy Battino - Weaving Vipassana into Her Life (interview)Wed, 08 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000As a young adult, Wendy Battino went backpacking in New Zealand. She was intrigued when she met a group of people going to a 10 day retreat to learn Vipassana, so she decided to join them. It was a powerful experience for her, and she left feeling very connected to the people and world around her.

When she got back home, she wasn’t consistent with her practice. She resisted the urge to force herself to do it and instead treated it like an experiment. She just kept coming back to it, and it gradually became a daily practice for her.

Now Vipassana influences much of her day. She meditates an hour a day. She uses it in her life coaching. She started a local meditation group in her community. It has become a consistent thread in her life, and brought her brought her many gifts.

Learn all the ways Vipassana has became woven into Wendy’s life, how her practice has changed for her over time, and all the ways she has benefitted from this practice for almost 25 years.

In this interview, Wendy shares:

the meditation she created for herself before she studied Vipassana meditation

what is was like to talk again after her 10 day silent Vipassana retreat

why she doesn’t beat herself up if she doesn’t meditate every day

how studying with Thich Nhat Hanh changed her practice

her favorite Pema Chodron story about not being perfect

why she says she’s an addicted, selfish meditator

how her experience has shifted over time

how consistently meditating in a group has supported her

her best advice for creating a daily practice (with or without Vipassana)

Resources to Connect with Wendy:

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>As a young adult, Wendy Battino went backpacking in New Zealand. She was intrigued when she met a group of people going to a 10 day retreat to learn Vipassana, so she decided to join them. It was a powerful experience for her, and she left feeling very connected to the people and world around her.

When she got back home, she wasn’t consistent with her practice. She resisted the urge to force herself to do it and instead treated it like an experiment. She just kept coming back to it, and it gradually became a daily practice for her.

Now Vipassana influences much of her day. She meditates an hour a day. She uses it in her life coaching. She started a local meditation group in her community. It has become a consistent thread in her life, and brought her brought her many gifts.

Learn all the ways Vipassana has became woven into Wendy’s life, how her practice has changed for her over time, and all the ways she has benefitted from this practice for almost 25 years.

In this interview, Wendy shares:

the meditation she created for herself before she studied Vipassana meditation

what is was like to talk again after her 10 day silent Vipassana retreat

why she doesn’t beat herself up if she doesn’t meditate every day

how studying with Thich Nhat Hanh changed her practice

her favorite Pema Chodron story about not being perfect

why she says she’s an addicted, selfish meditator

how her experience has shifted over time

how consistently meditating in a group has supported her

her best advice for creating a daily practice (with or without Vipassana)

]]>32:57nodaily,meditation,practice,vipassanaAine Mac Dermott - Resonating with Primordial Sound Meditation (interview)Wed, 01 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000Aine Mac Dermott had been on a spiritual journey for a long time. She had a sense that she wanted to meditate, but she hadn’t worked out the details. She would try sometimes, going into her bedroom after work and tuning in, but she never found anything she would stick with.

She went to a week long class at the Chopra Center, and learned Primordial Sound Meditation. She was given a mantra to repeat to herself, and practiced during the week of the retreat. In just that week, she could tell that she resonated with this meditation.

When she got home, she continued to meditate every day. She felt the shifts in her experience. Other people noticed changes in her, and she was able to connect in a deeper, more energetic way with her interior design clients.

Listen to Aine’s story of how she learned Primordial Sound Meditation, what that experience was like for her and the shifts she’s experienced from her practice.

In this interview, Aine shares:

the important shift in her understanding about how to work with a mantra meditation

the feedback she got from other people about how she changed after she started meditating

how her work in the world is supported by her meditation practice

what happens when she tries to force something to happen now

her best advice to start a practice like hers

the visual component she added to her practice to help her focus

what it feels like to carry her practice in her body throughout her day

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>Aine Mac Dermott had been on a spiritual journey for a long time. She had a sense that she wanted to meditate, but she hadn’t worked out the details. She would try sometimes, going into her bedroom after work and tuning in, but she never found anything she would stick with.

She went to a week long class at the Chopra Center, and learned Primordial Sound Meditation. She was given a mantra to repeat to herself, and practiced during the week of the retreat. In just that week, she could tell that she resonated with this meditation.

When she got home, she continued to meditate every day. She felt the shifts in her experience. Other people noticed changes in her, and she was able to connect in a deeper, more energetic way with her interior design clients.

Listen to Aine’s story of how she learned Primordial Sound Meditation, what that experience was like for her and the shifts she’s experienced from her practice.

In this interview, Aine shares:

the important shift in her understanding about how to work with a mantra meditation

the feedback she got from other people about how she changed after she started meditating

how her work in the world is supported by her meditation practice

what happens when she tries to force something to happen now

her best advice to start a practice like hers

the visual component she added to her practice to help her focus

what it feels like to carry her practice in her body throughout her day

]]>35:32nosound,daily,meditation,practice,primordialPeggy Freeh - A Passion for Daily Practice (interview)Wed, 25 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000Peggy had been a stay at home mom for 9 years. She was at a breaking point, focusing all her time and energy on her kids and none on herself.

She signed up for a life coach training program, and threw herself their recommended daily practice to notice and dissolve her painful thoughts. But after a year, she realized that it wasn’t very effective for her. Even though she learned the technique and could use it effectively with other people, it wasn’t causing many shifts in her life.

So she tried another practice - yoga. This was a completely different experience. She felt genuinely inspired to do this practice. She felt the benefits right away and continued to feel them as she practiced more. She was so inspired that she went on to create this podcast to find out how other people create their own transformative daily practices they love.

Listen to Peggy’s story of how daily practice has changed her life, and what she has learned about creating a daily practice from all the people she has interviewed.

]]>Peggy had been a stay at home mom for 9 years. She was at a breaking point, focusing all her time and energy on her kids and none on herself.

She signed up for a life coach training program, and threw herself their recommended daily practice to notice and dissolve her painful thoughts. But after a year, she realized that it wasn’t very effective for her. Even though she learned the technique and could use it effectively with other people, it wasn’t causing many shifts in her life.

So she tried another practice - yoga. This was a completely different experience. She felt genuinely inspired to do this practice. She felt the benefits right away and continued to feel them as she practiced more. She was so inspired that she went on to create this podcast to find out how other people create their own transformative daily practices they love.

Listen to Peggy’s story of how daily practice has changed her life, and what she has learned about creating a daily practice from all the people she has interviewed.

]]>47:19noyoga,daily,meditation,practicePatsie Smith - Embracing Many Forms of Meditation (interview)Wed, 18 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000At the age of 20, Patsie was so depressed, she took an overdose of painkillers. She ended up in the hospital, floating in and out of conscious. During that time, she connected with something that astonished her - a profound sense of total peace and love, beyond thought.

After she left the hospital, that peace was only a memory, so she started to explore meditation to find her way back to it. The first place she found it was practicing chi kung. She was able to let go of her mind and find that peace again.

She explored other practices - visualizations, yoga, breath work - and was able to connect with and maintain that sense of peace throughout her day. She continued to explore other forms of meditation and find other benefits even beyond that sense of peace. She was able to disconnect from her thoughts and deeply connect with who she truly is.

Today, Patsie has an amazing collection of meditation techniques she draws on every day as she needs to keep connected to her moment by moment experience and her soul. Listen to her story of all the techniques she’s used and the different benefits she has found with each one.

In this interview, Patsie shares:

how she continued her practice when she had children

how she experiences that sense of peace in her body

the type of Buddhist meditation she used to disengage from her thoughts

her experience working with Zen koans

how her search has ended AND another journey has begun

why her whole life feels like meditation now (and why she still meditates every morning)

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>At the age of 20, Patsie was so depressed, she took an overdose of painkillers. She ended up in the hospital, floating in and out of conscious. During that time, she connected with something that astonished her - a profound sense of total peace and love, beyond thought.

After she left the hospital, that peace was only a memory, so she started to explore meditation to find her way back to it. The first place she found it was practicing chi kung. She was able to let go of her mind and find that peace again.

She explored other practices - visualizations, yoga, breath work - and was able to connect with and maintain that sense of peace throughout her day. She continued to explore other forms of meditation and find other benefits even beyond that sense of peace. She was able to disconnect from her thoughts and deeply connect with who she truly is.

Today, Patsie has an amazing collection of meditation techniques she draws on every day as she needs to keep connected to her moment by moment experience and her soul. Listen to her story of all the techniques she’s used and the different benefits she has found with each one.

In this interview, Patsie shares:

how she continued her practice when she had children

how she experiences that sense of peace in her body

the type of Buddhist meditation she used to disengage from her thoughts

her experience working with Zen koans

how her search has ended AND another journey has begun

why her whole life feels like meditation now (and why she still meditates every morning)

]]>50:37noyoga,daily,meditation,zen,practice,mantraVivian Carrasco - A Kinder, Gentler Approach to Daily Practice (interview)Wed, 11 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000Vivian remembers the dark years. Between moving, changing jobs, her husband retiring and her sons leaving home, her life was turned upside down. She knew she needed to do something different so she decided to simply stop and pay more attention.

She started with daily journaling, asking questions and listening for the answers. She sat outside every morning at sunrise, watching the light come from the darkness so she could trust that the light would come back into her life, too.

While her practices were helping her, they came with a catch. She was treating them like other items on her to do list, and if she ever missed a practice, she beat herself up. She wanted to find a way to be consistent with her practices in a way that felt kind and loving.

Listen to Vivian’s story of how she approaches her daily practice now so it does feel loving and supportive (even when she misses a few days), and how her practice is an ever evolving part of her life.

In this interview, Vivian shares:

her favorite, favorite practice

why she sleeps with the curtains open

the practice she does before she goes to sleep to receive answers to her questions

]]>Vivian remembers the dark years. Between moving, changing jobs, her husband retiring and her sons leaving home, her life was turned upside down. She knew she needed to do something different so she decided to simply stop and pay more attention.

She started with daily journaling, asking questions and listening for the answers. She sat outside every morning at sunrise, watching the light come from the darkness so she could trust that the light would come back into her life, too.

While her practices were helping her, they came with a catch. She was treating them like other items on her to do list, and if she ever missed a practice, she beat herself up. She wanted to find a way to be consistent with her practices in a way that felt kind and loving.

Listen to Vivian’s story of how she approaches her daily practice now so it does feel loving and supportive (even when she misses a few days), and how her practice is an ever evolving part of her life.

In this interview, Vivian shares:

her favorite, favorite practice

why she sleeps with the curtains open

the practice she does before she goes to sleep to receive answers to her questions

Resources to Connect with Caren:

]]>Caren Baginski shares a 5 minute meditation to clear the mind of worries and promote a deep sense of security and safety. This meditation also opens and energizes your root chakra.
Resources to Connect with Caren:

]]>05:31nodaily,meditation,practice,trust,guidedCaren Baginski - Yoga and Meditation to Heal Depression (interview)Wed, 04 Mar 2015 01:00:00 +0000Caren had a long history of depression. During college, she kept very busy and her depression was lessened. After graduating, she got a new job, moved to a new city and started a new relationship.

Even with all that, she had more time to stop and reflect and her depression came back. One night, she contemplated suicide. The next day, she went to a doctor and started taking Zoloft. While it helped with her depression, she felt anxious, nauseated, and she couldn’t sleep.

She wanted to find a way to feel better without taking drugs, so she started doing yoga. She noticed a difference, and she continued to practice. There were some parts of her experience that yoga wasn’t shifting, so she starting meditating as well. The combination was exactly what she needed. She was eventually able to stop taking her medication and fully recover from her depression.

Listen to her story of how she worked with both yoga and meditation to heal herself, her favorite mantra to shift her mindset and the current challenge she is facing. Also try her guided meditation to clear the mind of worries and activate trust.

In this interview, Caren shares:

the simple breathing technique that helped her sleep

how her first daily practice before yoga and meditation was shifting her mindset

the role her dog Willow played in her healing

how she decided to do a yoga teacher training

why her practice has shifted now more towards meditation and less towards yoga

why she meditates with her fiance

what she considers the greatest accomplishment of her life

the challenge she’s facing now and how her practices are supporting her

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>Caren had a long history of depression. During college, she kept very busy and her depression was lessened. After graduating, she got a new job, moved to a new city and started a new relationship.

Even with all that, she had more time to stop and reflect and her depression came back. One night, she contemplated suicide. The next day, she went to a doctor and started taking Zoloft. While it helped with her depression, she felt anxious, nauseated, and she couldn’t sleep.

She wanted to find a way to feel better without taking drugs, so she started doing yoga. She noticed a difference, and she continued to practice. There were some parts of her experience that yoga wasn’t shifting, so she starting meditating as well. The combination was exactly what she needed. She was eventually able to stop taking her medication and fully recover from her depression.

Listen to her story of how she worked with both yoga and meditation to heal herself, her favorite mantra to shift her mindset and the current challenge she is facing. Also try her guided meditation to clear the mind of worries and activate trust.

In this interview, Caren shares:

the simple breathing technique that helped her sleep

how her first daily practice before yoga and meditation was shifting her mindset

the role her dog Willow played in her healing

how she decided to do a yoga teacher training

why her practice has shifted now more towards meditation and less towards yoga

why she meditates with her fiance

what she considers the greatest accomplishment of her life

the challenge she’s facing now and how her practices are supporting her

]]>45:48noyoga,daily,meditation,depression,practiceSarahjoy Marsh - Yoga to Recover and Thrive (interview)Wed, 25 Feb 2015 01:00:00 +0000Sarahjoy’s first daily practices were not kind ones. She compulsively weighed herself, obsessed about food, and exercised all the time. Making art was her only escape from thinking about her body and food.

She went on a solo backpacking trip. She struggled up the trail with an overloaded backpack. When she got above the treeline, she put down her pack. As she looked around, she experienced an expansiveness and freedom that she had totally lost touch with in her obsession with food.

She started to move her body and connect with how her body actually felt. Soon after she arrived home, she discovered that the movements she spontaneously did had a name - yoga. She started practicing yoga and meditation, and she was able to recover from her food addiction.

She continued her own practices, and became a yoga teacher and yoga therapist. She has gone on to create a 360 degree life, one where she is able to fully embrace and express all aspects of herself. Listen to her story of the practices she used to heal herself, and thrive in the world.

In this interview, Sarahjoy shares:

her advice for picking a style of yoga to meet you where you are

why she recommends looking for a yoga teacher with yoga therapy training

the first unnerving thing that shifted for her when she began practicing yoga

how she shifted her relationship to food as she practiced

the importance of connecting to community on her journey

how the thought “I have to do it” shaped her experience

what living a 360 degree life means to her

her best advice for starting a daily practice (she’s the first guest who has shared this advice)

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>Sarahjoy’s first daily practices were not kind ones. She compulsively weighed herself, obsessed about food, and exercised all the time. Making art was her only escape from thinking about her body and food.

She went on a solo backpacking trip. She struggled up the trail with an overloaded backpack. When she got above the treeline, she put down her pack. As she looked around, she experienced an expansiveness and freedom that she had totally lost touch with in her obsession with food.

She started to move her body and connect with how her body actually felt. Soon after she arrived home, she discovered that the movements she spontaneously did had a name - yoga. She started practicing yoga and meditation, and she was able to recover from her food addiction.

She continued her own practices, and became a yoga teacher and yoga therapist. She has gone on to create a 360 degree life, one where she is able to fully embrace and express all aspects of herself. Listen to her story of the practices she used to heal herself, and thrive in the world.

In this interview, Sarahjoy shares:

her advice for picking a style of yoga to meet you where you are

why she recommends looking for a yoga teacher with yoga therapy training

the first unnerving thing that shifted for her when she began practicing yoga

how she shifted her relationship to food as she practiced

the importance of connecting to community on her journey

how the thought “I have to do it” shaped her experience

what living a 360 degree life means to her

her best advice for starting a daily practice (she’s the first guest who has shared this advice)

]]>49:06noyoga,daily,meditation,eating,practice,disorderedChel Hamilton - Guided Meditation for the ReWire It Process (practice)Wed, 18 Feb 2015 01:15:00 +0000Chel Hamilton provides a guided hypnotic meditation to support people in learning her ReWire It process.

]]>15:41nodaily,anxiety,practiceChel Hamilton - Practices to Get Off Autopilot (interview)Wed, 18 Feb 2015 01:00:00 +0000Chel was a sensitive kid. For awhile, she ran away from that sensitivity. In her 20s, she found herself getting into trouble - partying too much, staying up too late. She ended up severely depressed and facing major panic attacks.

She tried journaling and meditation, but they didn’t help. What did help was a micro practice - stopping to observe what she was thinking and feeling many, many times a day. And things started to shift. She was able to develop more awareness and was eventually able to stop her panic attacks.

Chel went on to learn hypnotherapy and uses it to help her stop the automatic negative responses and replace them with new, more positive patterns. She is able to live her life in the calm, confident, loving way she wants. Listen to her story of how she found her way, the practices she used (and continues to use), and how her life has been transformed.

And try her Rewire It! process, one of the key practices she shares with her hypnotherapy clients. She has provided a recording and an ebook to help you learn the technique.

In this interview, Chel shares:

the two daily practices she used to deal with her panic attacks

how she became a hypnotherapist (despite her initial skepticism)

how our subconscious can stop us from making the changes we know we want

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>Chel was a sensitive kid. For awhile, she ran away from that sensitivity. In her 20s, she found herself getting into trouble - partying too much, staying up too late. She ended up severely depressed and facing major panic attacks.

She tried journaling and meditation, but they didn’t help. What did help was a micro practice - stopping to observe what she was thinking and feeling many, many times a day. And things started to shift. She was able to develop more awareness and was eventually able to stop her panic attacks.

Chel went on to learn hypnotherapy and uses it to help her stop the automatic negative responses and replace them with new, more positive patterns. She is able to live her life in the calm, confident, loving way she wants. Listen to her story of how she found her way, the practices she used (and continues to use), and how her life has been transformed.

And try her Rewire It! process, one of the key practices she shares with her hypnotherapy clients. She has provided a recording and an ebook to help you learn the technique.

In this interview, Chel shares:

the two daily practices she used to deal with her panic attacks

how she became a hypnotherapist (despite her initial skepticism)

how our subconscious can stop us from making the changes we know we want

]]>39:43nodaily,attacks,anxiety,practice,panic,hypnotherapyHeather Strang - From Healing Crisis to Spiritual Path (interview)Wed, 11 Feb 2015 01:00:00 +0000Heather couldn’t find a way to heal from a cystic tumor on her ovary. She had it surgically removed, but her symptoms still persisted. She tried alternative medicine, and she still had no relief.

She met a woman who had been to see John of God, a healer in Brazil who channels the spirits of past doctors and saints. Immediately, Heather knew she had to go. She spent over two weeks in Brazil. By the time she left, her physical symptoms were gone.

And she had started on her spiritual path. She began meditating regularly, moved to Hawaii and wrote her first book. As she continued on her path, she found daily practices were a vital part of her exploration and expansion.

Listen to Heather’s story of how she found and followed her spiritual path, the practices she has used along the way, and how she now helps others to find their own paths as well. Be sure to listen to the guided meditation she shares to activate your destiny in 2015 (the link is below).

In this interview, Heather shares:

the details of her first experience with John of God

how her life shifted after that experience

her favorite practice to hone in and enhance her intuition

the questions Heather asks herself every day as part of her daily practice

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>Heather couldn’t find a way to heal from a cystic tumor on her ovary. She had it surgically removed, but her symptoms still persisted. She tried alternative medicine, and she still had no relief.

She met a woman who had been to see John of God, a healer in Brazil who channels the spirits of past doctors and saints. Immediately, Heather knew she had to go. She spent over two weeks in Brazil. By the time she left, her physical symptoms were gone.

And she had started on her spiritual path. She began meditating regularly, moved to Hawaii and wrote her first book. As she continued on her path, she found daily practices were a vital part of her exploration and expansion.

Listen to Heather’s story of how she found and followed her spiritual path, the practices she has used along the way, and how she now helps others to find their own paths as well. Be sure to listen to the guided meditation she shares to activate your destiny in 2015 (the link is below).

In this interview, Heather shares:

the details of her first experience with John of God

how her life shifted after that experience

her favorite practice to hone in and enhance her intuition

the questions Heather asks herself every day as part of her daily practice

]]>38:32noof,john,spirituality,daily,god,practiceBritt Nemeth - A Year Long Photography Practice (interview)Wed, 04 Feb 2015 01:00:00 +0000Britt Nemeth loves photography. To her, it’s an ineffable and heart driven experience. She strives to not just make pretty pictures, but to capture the essence of each particular person, place or thing she shoots.

When she is taking photographs, she was deeply in that presence that makes photography so special for her. But running her photography business took her out of that presence much of the time.

A friend asked her to the 5 day #blackandwhitechallenge. Britt agreed, not thinking too much off it. From the first day, she was hooked. It took her back to what she loved most about photography and it inspired her to create her own 365 black and white photo challenge for 2015.

Listen to her story of what’s shifted for her in the first month of this practice, and check back for updates on how it’s going throughout the year.

In this interview, Britt shares:

the 5 day black and white challenge that got her started

the new 365 day challenge she has created for 2015

what’s shifted in her photography business as a result of her new inspiration

]]>Britt Nemeth loves photography. To her, it’s an ineffable and heart driven experience. She strives to not just make pretty pictures, but to capture the essence of each particular person, place or thing she shoots.

When she is taking photographs, she was deeply in that presence that makes photography so special for her. But running her photography business took her out of that presence much of the time.

A friend asked her to the 5 day #blackandwhitechallenge. Britt agreed, not thinking too much off it. From the first day, she was hooked. It took her back to what she loved most about photography and it inspired her to create her own 365 black and white photo challenge for 2015.

Listen to her story of what’s shifted for her in the first month of this practice, and check back for updates on how it’s going throughout the year.

In this interview, Britt shares:

the 5 day black and white challenge that got her started

the new 365 day challenge she has created for 2015

what’s shifted in her photography business as a result of her new inspiration

]]>17:55nophotography,daily,practicePernille Norregaard - Writing as a Daily Practice (interview)Wed, 28 Jan 2015 01:00:00 +0000Pernelle has been writing professionally for 12 years, 7 years as her main job. The writing came in fits and starts. She would go through massive creative spurts and produce tons of work in no time. And then she won’t write for a few weeks or a month. Then she’d have another creative spurt.

This way of working depleted her. She would have one of these creative bursts and then feel empty and think she couldn’t do it again. She knew she could write, but she didn’t know how to make it a sustainable activity for herself.

So she started experimenting. At first, she set up her schedule to write in the afternoons. Then she tried writing first thing in the morning. The she added some meditation before writing.

All the experimenting had paid off. Pernille has a solid writing practice that supports her and allows her to bring her creative work into the world in a way that feels nurturing and sustainable. Listen to her story of how she worked out the details of her practice, what she does now, and how it has changed her life.

In this interview, Pernille shares:

what writing (and life) was like for her before her daily practice

her analogy of writing a book to running a marathon

her trial and error process of creating her daily writing practice

what her daily practice looks like now

the rituals she goes through before she sits down to start writing

how and why she separates writing and editing

why limiting our choices (or eliminating them altogether) can help us be more creative

her best advice for starting a daily writing practice

the important difference between “original” and “brilliant”

how her daily writing practice carried her through burnout after finishing a novel

]]>Pernelle has been writing professionally for 12 years, 7 years as her main job. The writing came in fits and starts. She would go through massive creative spurts and produce tons of work in no time. And then she won’t write for a few weeks or a month. Then she’d have another creative spurt.

This way of working depleted her. She would have one of these creative bursts and then feel empty and think she couldn’t do it again. She knew she could write, but she didn’t know how to make it a sustainable activity for herself.

So she started experimenting. At first, she set up her schedule to write in the afternoons. Then she tried writing first thing in the morning. The she added some meditation before writing.

All the experimenting had paid off. Pernille has a solid writing practice that supports her and allows her to bring her creative work into the world in a way that feels nurturing and sustainable. Listen to her story of how she worked out the details of her practice, what she does now, and how it has changed her life.

In this interview, Pernille shares:

what writing (and life) was like for her before her daily practice

her analogy of writing a book to running a marathon

her trial and error process of creating her daily writing practice

what her daily practice looks like now

the rituals she goes through before she sits down to start writing

how and why she separates writing and editing

why limiting our choices (or eliminating them altogether) can help us be more creative

her best advice for starting a daily writing practice

the important difference between “original” and “brilliant”

how her daily writing practice carried her through burnout after finishing a novel

]]>41:19nowriting,daily,creativity,practiceJenn Hand - The Healing Power of Journaling (interview)Wed, 21 Jan 2015 01:00:00 +0000Jenn Hand knew she had issues with anxiety and depression. When she started seeing a therapist, she didn’t connect those issues to her difficulties with food. She had been alternating between restricting and binging - crazy eating was just her everyday experience.

Her therapist asked Jenn to start keeping a food journal - just what she ate and when she ate it. Then the therapist asked her to add how she felt after she ate. That was challenging. Jenn wasn’t used to looking at her feelings. She had been stuffing them down with food instead.

Slowly, she started to see her patterns of disordered eating. She was able to use her journal as a place to meet her experiences with love and acceptance, and she has found a new level of peace with food and with her life.

Listen to Jenn’s story of how journaling helped her develop the self-awareness to heal her disordered eating and how she continues her journaling as a vital part of her daily self-care.

In this interview, Jenn shares:

how she got started with journaling about her food

her favorite analogy for disordered eating

how her journaling shifted as she started seeing her eating patterns

how things got worse after she started journaling before they got better

how journaling shifted from feeling like a lot of work to an essential aspect of her self-care

how she prepares herself now for stressful situations

how the quality of her thoughts has changed over time

her relationship with food and journaling now

what she does with her old journals

her best advice for starting a practice like hers

Resources to Connect with Jenn:

]]>Jenn Hand knew she had issues with anxiety and depression. When she started seeing a therapist, she didn’t connect those issues to her difficulties with food. She had been alternating between restricting and binging - crazy eating was just her everyday experience.

Her therapist asked Jenn to start keeping a food journal - just what she ate and when she ate it. Then the therapist asked her to add how she felt after she ate. That was challenging. Jenn wasn’t used to looking at her feelings. She had been stuffing them down with food instead.

Slowly, she started to see her patterns of disordered eating. She was able to use her journal as a place to meet her experiences with love and acceptance, and she has found a new level of peace with food and with her life.

Listen to Jenn’s story of how journaling helped her develop the self-awareness to heal her disordered eating and how she continues her journaling as a vital part of her daily self-care.

In this interview, Jenn shares:

how she got started with journaling about her food

her favorite analogy for disordered eating

how her journaling shifted as she started seeing her eating patterns

how things got worse after she started journaling before they got better

how journaling shifted from feeling like a lot of work to an essential aspect of her self-care

]]>42:11nofood,daily,practice,journalingClaudia Olivie - A Breathing Practice to Reduce Stress (practice)Wed, 14 Jan 2015 01:15:00 +0000Claudia Olivie explains the 4-7-8 breathing practice she teaches to reduce stress, and then guides you through a short practice session.]]>Claudia Olivie explains the 4-7-8 breathing practice she teaches to reduce stress, and then guides you through a short practice session.]]>04:50nostress,practice,breathingClaudia Olivie - From Stressed Out to Blissed Out with Daily Practices (interview)Wed, 14 Jan 2015 01:00:00 +0000In her early 20s, Claudia was going nonstop. She was in college and working, regularly going two or three days without sleep. Her body started breaking down and she got to the point where it took her 20 minutes to read one sentence.

She was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and her life came to a standstill. She used the scientific research skills she had developed in college and started looking for answers. She discovered how her chronic stress contributed to her illness.

She found many, many ways to address stress, so she called on another skill she had developed during college - how to experiment. She took what she learned and created daily practices to bring them into her life. Some worked and some didn’t, and she was able to gradually find her way back to full health and a blissful life.

Listen to Claudia’s story of what daily practices she used to reduce her stress level, how she she found what worked and what didn’t, and all the amazing changes she’s seen in her life. Also check out Claudia’s separate recording of a breathing practice to help reduce stress.

In this interview, Claudia shares:

the details of her physical breakdown

the powerful stress reduction results she got from changing her diet

her simple summary of the food changes she made

how she shifted her attitude about stress

why she looks at inflammation as the first issue when addressing stress

a breathing practice to use anytime to reduce stress

how to look for stressors in your life

how her connection to her intuition changed as she went through this process

Other Resources Shared in this Interview:

]]>In her early 20s, Claudia was going nonstop. She was in college and working, regularly going two or three days without sleep. Her body started breaking down and she got to the point where it took her 20 minutes to read one sentence.

She was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and her life came to a standstill. She used the scientific research skills she had developed in college and started looking for answers. She discovered how her chronic stress contributed to her illness.

She found many, many ways to address stress, so she called on another skill she had developed during college - how to experiment. She took what she learned and created daily practices to bring them into her life. Some worked and some didn’t, and she was able to gradually find her way back to full health and a blissful life.

Listen to Claudia’s story of what daily practices she used to reduce her stress level, how she she found what worked and what didn’t, and all the amazing changes she’s seen in her life. Also check out Claudia’s separate recording of a breathing practice to help reduce stress.

In this interview, Claudia shares:

the details of her physical breakdown

the powerful stress reduction results she got from changing her diet

her simple summary of the food changes she made

how she shifted her attitude about stress

why she looks at inflammation as the first issue when addressing stress

a breathing practice to use anytime to reduce stress

how to look for stressors in your life

how her connection to her intuition changed as she went through this process

Kelly didn't really realize how important quiet time in the morning was to her. Before she had children, she lived and worked in London and had at least an hour of quiet time to herself every morning. Even on the underground, she would have her eyes closed or bury herself deep in a book.

Then she had her first baby. She was not prepared for that sudden lack of quiet morning time before she had to be with other people. Waking up each morning and jumping into mommy mode was incredibly challenging for Kelly.

Gradually, Kelly found her way back to that quiet morning time. At first, it was just on the weekends when her husband let her sleep in and have some extra time to herself. Then she challenged herself to take 15 minutes before her kids got up to set herself up for the best day possible. Building on that success, Kelly has even found other ways to add daily practices to her busy life.

Today Kelly has a morning practice she can't imagine living without. It’s developed slowly over time and continues to change and evolve. Listen to Kelly’s story of all the ways she incorporates daily practice into her life and what it has come to mean to her and her family.

]]>

Kelly didn't really realize how important quiet time in the morning was to her. Before she had children, she lived and worked in London and had at least an hour of quiet time to herself every morning. Even on the underground, she would have her eyes closed or bury herself deep in a book.

Then she had her first baby. She was not prepared for that sudden lack of quiet morning time before she had to be with other people. Waking up each morning and jumping into mommy mode was incredibly challenging for Kelly.

Gradually, Kelly found her way back to that quiet morning time. At first, it was just on the weekends when her husband let her sleep in and have some extra time to herself. Then she challenged herself to take 15 minutes before her kids got up to set herself up for the best day possible. Building on that success, Kelly has even found other ways to add daily practices to her busy life.

Today Kelly has a morning practice she can't imagine living without. It’s developed slowly over time and continues to change and evolve. Listen to Kelly’s story of all the ways she incorporates daily practice into her life and what it has come to mean to her and her family.

]]>43:35nomorning,daily,parenting,practice,routineBailey Frumen - The Interplay of Morning and Evening Practices (interview)Wed, 31 Dec 2014 01:00:00 +0000Bailey started with a twice weekly yoga practice. She was dedicated to it, because she needed it to survive her busy life as a burnt out therapist working 70 hour a week.

She wanted to shift her business from working in person to working with people online. As she shifted her business, she reevaluated everything about her life, including her morning routine. She experimented with different activities, fine tuning what she did until she felt grounded and ready for her day.

But that wasn’t enough. When she found herself working on her computer late every night, she experimented again - this time with her evening routine. She played around with both routines, finding a way to create bookends for her best possible day.

Listen to Bailey’s story of how she went from using daily practices to survive to how she she uses them now to create her ideal life one day at a time and thrive.

]]>Bailey started with a twice weekly yoga practice. She was dedicated to it, because she needed it to survive her busy life as a burnt out therapist working 70 hour a week.

She wanted to shift her business from working in person to working with people online. As she shifted her business, she reevaluated everything about her life, including her morning routine. She experimented with different activities, fine tuning what she did until she felt grounded and ready for her day.

But that wasn’t enough. When she found herself working on her computer late every night, she experimented again - this time with her evening routine. She played around with both routines, finding a way to create bookends for her best possible day.

Listen to Bailey’s story of how she went from using daily practices to survive to how she she uses them now to create her ideal life one day at a time and thrive.

]]>40:07nomorning,daily,evening,practice,routineKatie Dalebout - Journaling to Find Her Authentic Self (interview)Wed, 24 Dec 2014 01:00:00 +0000At 21, Katie was a mess. She had been struggling with a severe eating disorder throughout college. She entered an outpatient treatment program to find a way out of the craziness.

She connected with a mentor who helped her see what was going on - Katie wasn’t able to feel her feelings, and the disordered eating was her way to avoid her looking at them. Her mentor recommended Katie sit on a meditation cushion and feel her feelings. But Katie just couldn’t do it. She couldn’t sit still. She couldn’t quiet her mind.

She bought a journal on a whim one day and started writing. That did it. Katie was finally able to see and feel her feelings. She was able to get them out and be completely honest with herself for the first time. That let her be honest with other people and show up more authentically with the people around her.

Listen to Katie’s story of how she used journaling to connect with herself on a deep level, why she continues to journal every day, and all the gifts journaling has brought her.

]]>At 21, Katie was a mess. She had been struggling with a severe eating disorder throughout college. She entered an outpatient treatment program to find a way out of the craziness.

She connected with a mentor who helped her see what was going on - Katie wasn’t able to feel her feelings, and the disordered eating was her way to avoid her looking at them. Her mentor recommended Katie sit on a meditation cushion and feel her feelings. But Katie just couldn’t do it. She couldn’t sit still. She couldn’t quiet her mind.

She bought a journal on a whim one day and started writing. That did it. Katie was finally able to see and feel her feelings. She was able to get them out and be completely honest with herself for the first time. That let her be honest with other people and show up more authentically with the people around her.

Listen to Katie’s story of how she used journaling to connect with herself on a deep level, why she continues to journal every day, and all the gifts journaling has brought her.

]]>43:39nomorning,routine,journaling Andy Hayes - Finding His Life’s Work with Daily Practices (interview)Wed, 17 Dec 2014 01:00:00 +0000On one hand, Andy’s life looked great. He had a great job abroad developing software. But after two acquisitions, the work environment turned toxic and he knew he had to get out. He started journaling, and connected with a new vision for his life.

He knew he wanted to work at home and spend time writing, but he couldn’t connect to what his core message was. About a year after he left his job, his mom died of cancer. Andy reflected on her life and death, and found the message he most wanted to share - making moments matter.

While that insight helped him focus, he was still floundering, trying to create a successful business based on his inspiration. He started meditating every day, and it helped him find the focus and clarity he needed to move forward.

Listen to Andy’s story of how he went from working in a toxic environment to building a life affirming business, how his mother inspired his big vision, and all the practices that have supported him on his journey.

]]>On one hand, Andy’s life looked great. He had a great job abroad developing software. But after two acquisitions, the work environment turned toxic and he knew he had to get out. He started journaling, and connected with a new vision for his life.

He knew he wanted to work at home and spend time writing, but he couldn’t connect to what his core message was. About a year after he left his job, his mom died of cancer. Andy reflected on her life and death, and found the message he most wanted to share - making moments matter.

While that insight helped him focus, he was still floundering, trying to create a successful business based on his inspiration. He started meditating every day, and it helped him find the focus and clarity he needed to move forward.

Listen to Andy’s story of how he went from working in a toxic environment to building a life affirming business, how his mother inspired his big vision, and all the practices that have supported him on his journey.

]]>44:42nowork,meditation,entrepreneur,journalingCate Stillman - Ayurvedic Habits and Practices (interview)Wed, 10 Dec 2014 01:00:00 +0000Cate had been working in global change politics in Washington, D.C. She was called to study natural healing to help people become more awake to their bodies and their ecosystems so they could make better decisions for their own health and the health of the planet.

She connected most with yoga and Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science of health and healing. She went through an intense period of studying both, learning a very traditional approach.

These practices revolutionized her connection to herself and the world around her. While she started out following the prescribed habits as she was taught, she came to connect with these habits at a new, deeper level, transforming them from habits to practices.

Listen to Cate’s story of how she learned these Ayurvedic health habits, how she has worked with them over time, and how they have become her daily practices so she can share herself and her work with the world

]]>Cate had been working in global change politics in Washington, D.C. She was called to study natural healing to help people become more awake to their bodies and their ecosystems so they could make better decisions for their own health and the health of the planet.

She connected most with yoga and Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science of health and healing. She went through an intense period of studying both, learning a very traditional approach.

These practices revolutionized her connection to herself and the world around her. While she started out following the prescribed habits as she was taught, she came to connect with these habits at a new, deeper level, transforming them from habits to practices.

Listen to Cate’s story of how she learned these Ayurvedic health habits, how she has worked with them over time, and how they have become her daily practices so she can share herself and her work with the world

]]>41:11noyoga,ayurveda,habitCatarina Andrade - Practicing Laughter Yoga (interview)Wed, 03 Dec 2014 01:00:00 +0000Catarina had been practicing Kundalini yoga and loving it. It helped her feel more grounded and calm. But she noticed that it wasn’t helping her feel more energized or joyful. And while she liked doing the meditation at the end of the Kundalini yoga class, she found it wasn’t something she liked doing on her own.

She learned about laughter yoga while Googling for information on kids’ yoga. She had been facing some challenging times in the her life, and she was so intrigued with the idea of just laughing that that she signed up for a weekend teacher training as her first experience.

It was an intense and amazing experience for her. She was able to tap into that joyful side of herself that she had lost touch with. She has since found many different ways to include laughter yoga into her day as well as share it with other people in her life.

Listen to Catarina’s story of what it’s like to practice laughter yoga, how she integrates it into her life and all the different benefits she has received from this practice.

]]>Catarina had been practicing Kundalini yoga and loving it. It helped her feel more grounded and calm. But she noticed that it wasn’t helping her feel more energized or joyful. And while she liked doing the meditation at the end of the Kundalini yoga class, she found it wasn’t something she liked doing on her own.

She learned about laughter yoga while Googling for information on kids’ yoga. She had been facing some challenging times in the her life, and she was so intrigued with the idea of just laughing that that she signed up for a weekend teacher training as her first experience.

It was an intense and amazing experience for her. She was able to tap into that joyful side of herself that she had lost touch with. She has since found many different ways to include laughter yoga into her day as well as share it with other people in her life.

Listen to Catarina’s story of what it’s like to practice laughter yoga, how she integrates it into her life and all the different benefits she has received from this practice.

]]>32:55noyoga,laughterCatherine Just - Practicing with Her Son (interview)Wed, 26 Nov 2014 01:00:00 +0000Catherine Just wanted to be a stay at home mom for her son Max’’s first three years of life. She knew she couldn’t get those years back, and she wanted to be as present as possible.

And like most stay at home moms, she cherished naptime, her one chance to spend time alone and get some other things done. Max didn’t always want to nap, though. Catherine would try to rock him to sleep, and some days, he would just look at her and laugh.

One day, she decided to do the whole thing differently. She took her iPhone with her to naptime and lay down next to Max. After he fell asleep, she took a picture of them together. She saw how much of the present moment she had been missing, focusing on getting somewhere else and being somewhere else. Instead, she found a simple way she could always bring herself back to the present moment.

Listen to how this practice has changed Catherine’s life and the other practices she does inspired by Max.

]]>Catherine Just wanted to be a stay at home mom for her son Max’’s first three years of life. She knew she couldn’t get those years back, and she wanted to be as present as possible.

And like most stay at home moms, she cherished naptime, her one chance to spend time alone and get some other things done. Max didn’t always want to nap, though. Catherine would try to rock him to sleep, and some days, he would just look at her and laugh.

One day, she decided to do the whole thing differently. She took her iPhone with her to naptime and lay down next to Max. After he fell asleep, she took a picture of them together. She saw how much of the present moment she had been missing, focusing on getting somewhere else and being somewhere else. Instead, she found a simple way she could always bring herself back to the present moment.

Listen to how this practice has changed Catherine’s life and the other practices she does inspired by Max.

]]>32:45nophotography,yoga,syndrome,downBridget Finklaire - Practice During a Life Transition (interview)Wed, 19 Nov 2014 01:56:16 +0000Bridget had a regular daily practice for years. With her professional background in psychotherapy, hypnotherapy and energy healing as well as her devotion to her own spiritual path, she experimented with a wide variety of spiritual practices.

She struggled with the effects of an acrimonious divorce and adrenal fatigue. Then one day, she got an intuitive hit that she needed to go to Cape Town. At first, she thought is was just for a holiday, but as she got closer, she realized she was supposed to move there. She got rid of most of her belongings and put the rest in storage in London. And off she went to Cape Town even though she thought she was crazy.

She wasn’t crazy after all. She regained her health, meet her soul partner and wrote a novel. And before, during and after the transition, her practices changed to support her. She continued some practices, dropped others, and added new ones. All throughout, her practices were able to support her throughout the process.

Listen to Bridget share about her transformation, how her daily practices evolved with her, and where her practices are taking her now.

]]>Bridget had a regular daily practice for years. With her professional background in psychotherapy, hypnotherapy and energy healing as well as her devotion to her own spiritual path, she experimented with a wide variety of spiritual practices.

She struggled with the effects of an acrimonious divorce and adrenal fatigue. Then one day, she got an intuitive hit that she needed to go to Cape Town. At first, she thought is was just for a holiday, but as she got closer, she realized she was supposed to move there. She got rid of most of her belongings and put the rest in storage in London. And off she went to Cape Town even though she thought she was crazy.

She wasn’t crazy after all. She regained her health, meet her soul partner and wrote a novel. And before, during and after the transition, her practices changed to support her. She continued some practices, dropped others, and added new ones. All throughout, her practices were able to support her throughout the process.

Listen to Bridget share about her transformation, how her daily practices evolved with her, and where her practices are taking her now.

]]>01:01:49noShane Michaels - Finding Peace After Military Service (interview)Wed, 12 Nov 2014 01:00:00 +0000In 2004, Shane joined in the infantry in the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, Bravo Company. During the four years he served, he faced many challenging missions, including recovering bodies after Hurricane Katrina, evacuating 10,000 Americans out of Lebanon, and training Iraqi police and Army personnel.

Months after his honorable discharge, he was coughing up blood and was rushed to the emergency room. He was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and told that he would have to be on blood thinners for the rest of his life. He had gone from being strong and healthy to feeling weak and useless.

He reevaluated his situation and made some big changes. He moved to a 26 acre farm in Connecticut and started farming, eating only food he had grown. And he started taking daily walks in the woods. Exploring the woods, he was able to find a sense of peace and connection to himself that he had lost during his years of service.

Listen to Shane’s remarkable story of his experience in the Marines, what he did to recover from the aftereffects of his service, and his new plans for the future.

]]>In 2004, Shane joined in the infantry in the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, Bravo Company. During the four years he served, he faced many challenging missions, including recovering bodies after Hurricane Katrina, evacuating 10,000 Americans out of Lebanon, and training Iraqi police and Army personnel.

Months after his honorable discharge, he was coughing up blood and was rushed to the emergency room. He was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and told that he would have to be on blood thinners for the rest of his life. He had gone from being strong and healthy to feeling weak and useless.

He reevaluated his situation and made some big changes. He moved to a 26 acre farm in Connecticut and started farming, eating only food he had grown. And he started taking daily walks in the woods. Exploring the woods, he was able to find a sense of peace and connection to himself that he had lost during his years of service.

Listen to Shane’s remarkable story of his experience in the Marines, what he did to recover from the aftereffects of his service, and his new plans for the future.

]]>23:24nomilitary,marines,meditationAndrew B. Watt - Blogging about His Daily Practices (interview)Wed, 05 Nov 2014 01:40:56 +0000Andrew learned tai chi fifteen years ago. He learned the whole form thoroughly, but he was busy with his life as a teacher, and he practiced haphazardly for more than a decade.

He also started his own website in 1994, blogging on a wide variety of topics that inspired him. When he committed to practicing 100 days of Tai Chi in 2006, it only seemed natural to blog every day about his experience. He did a few 100 days cycles, blogging the whole time.

Then, three years ago, Andrew saw some of his old blog posts from his 100 day challenges and decided to start practicing tai chi every day, this time committing for a full year. He added in other practices as he felt inspired, and he blogged about his experience.

At the time of the interview, Andrew had completed 2 years and 220 days of his practices and blogging about it. Listen to his story of how his daily practices have changed his life and how blogging has added to his experience.

]]>Andrew learned tai chi fifteen years ago. He learned the whole form thoroughly, but he was busy with his life as a teacher, and he practiced haphazardly for more than a decade.

He also started his own website in 1994, blogging on a wide variety of topics that inspired him. When he committed to practicing 100 days of Tai Chi in 2006, it only seemed natural to blog every day about his experience. He did a few 100 days cycles, blogging the whole time.

Then, three years ago, Andrew saw some of his old blog posts from his 100 day challenges and decided to start practicing tai chi every day, this time committing for a full year. He added in other practices as he felt inspired, and he blogged about his experience.

At the time of the interview, Andrew had completed 2 years and 220 days of his practices and blogging about it. Listen to his story of how his daily practices have changed his life and how blogging has added to his experience.

]]>48:28noblogging,tai,chiTara Leaver - Creativity Rooted in Tai Chi (interview)Wed, 29 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000Tara had lived in London her whole life. After one especially bad year (a big break-up, depression, and overworking to distract herself from what was happening), she decided to move to the coast and start again.

She had always been interested in healing and alternative therapies. She found a teacher in her new city who taught her tai chi and she began to practice regularly. It was slow going. She didn’t see results right away, but gradually she began to feel better. The depression went away and she felt calmer and more patient.

She also found her way back to creating art. Her depression had made it hard for her to get through the day, much less pick up a paintbrush. She didn’t develop a daily art practice, but instead created a variety of short term art practices as her needs and interests changed.

Listen to Tara’s inspiring story of how the connection she has built with her daily tai chi practice supports and nourishes all her artistic activities, allowing her to live a life of balance, harmony and creative expression.

]]>Tara had lived in London her whole life. After one especially bad year (a big break-up, depression, and overworking to distract herself from what was happening), she decided to move to the coast and start again.

She had always been interested in healing and alternative therapies. She found a teacher in her new city who taught her tai chi and she began to practice regularly. It was slow going. She didn’t see results right away, but gradually she began to feel better. The depression went away and she felt calmer and more patient.

She also found her way back to creating art. Her depression had made it hard for her to get through the day, much less pick up a paintbrush. She didn’t develop a daily art practice, but instead created a variety of short term art practices as her needs and interests changed.

Listen to Tara’s inspiring story of how the connection she has built with her daily tai chi practice supports and nourishes all her artistic activities, allowing her to live a life of balance, harmony and creative expression.

]]>29:05noart,tai,chi,creativityAmy Scott - 100 Happy Days and Beyond (interview)Wed, 22 Oct 2014 11:11:35 +0000Amy had been seeing various gratitude practices and challenges going around social media. When a friend started the 100 Happy Days Challenge (take a photo of something that made you happy for 100 days), she was intrigued.

She went to the website, and decided to do it. It felt doable to her. She was already taking and posting photos every day, and her schedule looked very stable for the next 100 days, so she dove in.

She found that the challenge really did shift her viewpoint from what she didn’t like in a situation to what she did. It wasn’t just the 5 minutes it took to take the photo and post it to social media. She found herself noticing what was making her happy throughout her day.

Hear Amy’s story of how this practice has changed her life and her experience of daily practice. Amy will be back with short follow up interviews so you can hear how her experience with this practice changes over time.

]]>Amy had been seeing various gratitude practices and challenges going around social media. When a friend started the 100 Happy Days Challenge (take a photo of something that made you happy for 100 days), she was intrigued.

She went to the website, and decided to do it. It felt doable to her. She was already taking and posting photos every day, and her schedule looked very stable for the next 100 days, so she dove in.

She found that the challenge really did shift her viewpoint from what she didn’t like in a situation to what she did. It wasn’t just the 5 minutes it took to take the photo and post it to social media. She found herself noticing what was making her happy throughout her day.

Hear Amy’s story of how this practice has changed her life and her experience of daily practice. Amy will be back with short follow up interviews so you can hear how her experience with this practice changes over time.

]]>29:08noLaurie Hawley - Reconnecting Through Nature (interview)Tue, 14 Oct 2014 23:01:06 +0000Laurie went through a series of losses. She withdrew from the world, isolating herself more and more. She continued to study with many different teachers, but she became more reclusive and isolated.

She eventually saw how disconnected she was, from the world around her and from herself. She drew all on she had studied, and created a morning mindfulness practice. The core of the practice was going outside every day to the same spot and sitting there for at least 20 minutes.

But sitting for at least 20 minutes was not Laurie’s problem. She loved sitting there so much that she had to set an alarm to remind her to go in, sometimes sitting as long as 2 hours. Her feeling of connection was coming back, bringing her to tears every day for the first two years.

Laurie shares in beautiful detail how she practices today, the influences that have meant the most to her, and the deep connection she has regain with herself and the world around her.

]]>Laurie went through a series of losses. She withdrew from the world, isolating herself more and more. She continued to study with many different teachers, but she became more reclusive and isolated.

She eventually saw how disconnected she was, from the world around her and from herself. She drew all on she had studied, and created a morning mindfulness practice. The core of the practice was going outside every day to the same spot and sitting there for at least 20 minutes.

But sitting for at least 20 minutes was not Laurie’s problem. She loved sitting there so much that she had to set an alarm to remind her to go in, sometimes sitting as long as 2 hours. Her feeling of connection was coming back, bringing her to tears every day for the first two years.

Laurie shares in beautiful detail how she practices today, the influences that have meant the most to her, and the deep connection she has regain with herself and the world around her.

]]>47:52noAna Goncalves - Morning Renewal Meditation (practice)Wed, 08 Oct 2014 13:23:05 +0000Ana Goncalves shares a morning renewal meditation. It will help you connect with who you are, so that you can feel lighter and brighter and believe that everything is going to work out wonderfully in your day.]]>Ana Goncalves shares a morning renewal meditation. It will help you connect with who you are, so that you can feel lighter and brighter and believe that everything is going to work out wonderfully in your day.]]>09:18nomeditationAna Goncalves - The Healing Practice of Gratitude (interview)Wed, 08 Oct 2014 13:21:02 +0000Ana was severely depressed as a teenager. She didn’t believe anyone loved her and that people were just out to get each other. She felt disconnected and unfulfilled.

She found herself writing lists of what she was grateful for. She focused on what she was grateful for in herself, really allowing herself to savor her own positive qualities she would normally overlook.

And as she wrote, it felt like a huge load dropped away from her. She felt deep love and connection. The world took on a different meaning, and she realized that she had a purpose.

Ana has continued to expand her gratitude practice to her whole life now. She shares her powerful story, how she walks in the world in gratitude, and how she has found deep appreciation for all the experiences of her life.

]]>Ana was severely depressed as a teenager. She didn’t believe anyone loved her and that people were just out to get each other. She felt disconnected and unfulfilled.

She found herself writing lists of what she was grateful for. She focused on what she was grateful for in herself, really allowing herself to savor her own positive qualities she would normally overlook.

And as she wrote, it felt like a huge load dropped away from her. She felt deep love and connection. The world took on a different meaning, and she realized that she had a purpose.

Ana has continued to expand her gratitude practice to her whole life now. She shares her powerful story, how she walks in the world in gratitude, and how she has found deep appreciation for all the experiences of her life.

]]>36:45nogratitudePeggy Freeh - 6 Insights from the First 24 InterviewsWed, 01 Oct 2014 17:39:49 +0000Peggy started Simple Daily Practice Radio as a way to talk about daily practice by having people share their stories of their own daily practices. After 24 interviews, she wanted to share 6 insights she’s received from these interviews.

Here is an overview of the 6 insights. For more details for each insight, listen to the podcast. Peggy also gives uses specfiic examples from the 24 interviews to illustrate her points. You can also listen to the original interviews for even more details.

Insight #1 - Follow Your Inspiration

Insight #2 - Start Small and Simple

Insight #3 - You Don’t Have to Be As Consistent As You Think

Insight #4 - Be Flexible

Insight #5 is Choose a Structure that Works for You

Insight #6 - It’s So Worth It

]]>Peggy started Simple Daily Practice Radio as a way to talk about daily practice by having people share their stories of their own daily practices. After 24 interviews, she wanted to share 6 insights she’s received from these interviews.

Here is an overview of the 6 insights. For more details for each insight, listen to the podcast. Peggy also gives uses specfiic examples from the 24 interviews to illustrate her points. You can also listen to the original interviews for even more details.

Insight #1 - Follow Your Inspiration

Insight #2 - Start Small and Simple

Insight #3 - You Don’t Have to Be As Consistent As You Think

Insight #4 - Be Flexible

Insight #5 is Choose a Structure that Works for You

Insight #6 - It’s So Worth It

]]>10:14noHeather Rampolla - Body Love Guided Meditation (practice)Wed, 24 Sep 2014 00:15:00 +0000Heather Rampolla leads a guided body love meditation for women you can use every day.]]>Heather Rampolla leads a guided body love meditation for women you can use every day.]]>14:29nodaily,practiceHeather Rampolla - Supporting Health with Daily Practice (interview)Wed, 24 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000Heather Rampolla’s career was taking off. She was climbing the corporate ladder, getting promotion after promotion, working all the time. She got married and became a stepmom to two teenage stepdaughters. And with all this, she was living on coffee and junk food.

One night, she fainted when she got up to go to the bathroom. She ended up going to the ER and found out that she was severely dehydrated. That was her wake up call. She started to question how what she was eating was affecting her health and how she was feeling every day.

She and her husband decided to try a raw, vegan diet for three months. Figuring out what to eat and how to fit it into her busy life was only part of the problem. She found herself dealing with mindset issues, and she turned to daily practices to support herself in facing these challenges.

Heather has totally transformed her life. Her diet changes have brought her a new level of health and wellness, and her daily practices have brought her to a new level of self love and acceptance. Listen to her inspiring story of how she combined both elements into her total health makeover.

]]>Heather Rampolla’s career was taking off. She was climbing the corporate ladder, getting promotion after promotion, working all the time. She got married and became a stepmom to two teenage stepdaughters. And with all this, she was living on coffee and junk food.

One night, she fainted when she got up to go to the bathroom. She ended up going to the ER and found out that she was severely dehydrated. That was her wake up call. She started to question how what she was eating was affecting her health and how she was feeling every day.

She and her husband decided to try a raw, vegan diet for three months. Figuring out what to eat and how to fit it into her busy life was only part of the problem. She found herself dealing with mindset issues, and she turned to daily practices to support herself in facing these challenges.

Heather has totally transformed her life. Her diet changes have brought her a new level of health and wellness, and her daily practices have brought her to a new level of self love and acceptance. Listen to her inspiring story of how she combined both elements into her total health makeover.

]]>35:20nodaily,practiceHeather Chauvin - Take Back Control for Mothers (practice)Wed, 17 Sep 2014 11:43:23 +0000Heather Chauvin shares how meditation can be so vital for mothers, and then leads a guided meditation on the breath to help mothers feel more grounded and in control.]]>Heather Chauvin shares how meditation can be so vital for mothers, and then leads a guided meditation on the breath to help mothers feel more grounded and in control.]]>11:54nodaily,meditation,mothers,practiceHeather Chauvin - Two Deep Dives Into Daily Practice (interview)Wed, 17 Sep 2014 11:40:34 +0000Many people start their daily practice when faced with a personal crisis. Heather Chauvin’s son was struggling, and even though she was a trained mental health professional, none of the traditional approaches helped.

One day at a bookstore, she saw a book on teaching children to meditate. She bought the book, and started using the techniques with her son. The meditations helped him, but even more, Heather found she needed meditation and it became a daily practice for her.

A few years later, Heather had another crisis - a Stage 4 lymphoma diagnosis. Her meditation practice had given her the ability to step back and get some perspective on her situation, but the new challenge inspired her to evolve her practice in new and different ways.

Heather shares the insight and wisdom she has gained through deepening her daily practice through two personal crises. Her beautiful, solid presence shines throughout the interview, and she reflects on the difference daily practice has made in her life.

]]>Many people start their daily practice when faced with a personal crisis. Heather Chauvin’s son was struggling, and even though she was a trained mental health professional, none of the traditional approaches helped.

One day at a bookstore, she saw a book on teaching children to meditate. She bought the book, and started using the techniques with her son. The meditations helped him, but even more, Heather found she needed meditation and it became a daily practice for her.

A few years later, Heather had another crisis - a Stage 4 lymphoma diagnosis. Her meditation practice had given her the ability to step back and get some perspective on her situation, but the new challenge inspired her to evolve her practice in new and different ways.

Heather shares the insight and wisdom she has gained through deepening her daily practice through two personal crises. Her beautiful, solid presence shines throughout the interview, and she reflects on the difference daily practice has made in her life.

]]>39:34nodaily,meditation,mindfulness,practiceAlexia Leachman - Finding Her Breakthrough Practices (interview)Tue, 09 Sep 2014 22:59:58 +0000When Alexia was 30, her mother suddenly died of cancer, and her life spun out of control. She had focused her own life choices around what was best for her mother, and with her mother gone, she lost her center. She fell down a dark hole and had no idea how to get out.

She tried many different practices, looking for the ones that were most effective for her. Some helped a little. Others were major turning points for her. She didn’t have any plan or guidance. She followed her intuition and just kept trying different practices until she found what worked best for her.

Alexia shares deeply about one of the most significant breakthroughs for her, Head Trash Clearing, a method she created based on Reflective Repatterning. She describes what it’s like to do, how it helps her, and how she uses it in her day to day life. She gives some startling examples of the results she’s had with the technique, and why she started a company to share this work with the world.

Alexia admits that she tried many practices that didn’t provide much benefit for her, but she continues to explore and practice, always inspired to find a new, more efficient way to help her live a happier, more fulfilled life.

]]>When Alexia was 30, her mother suddenly died of cancer, and her life spun out of control. She had focused her own life choices around what was best for her mother, and with her mother gone, she lost her center. She fell down a dark hole and had no idea how to get out.

She tried many different practices, looking for the ones that were most effective for her. Some helped a little. Others were major turning points for her. She didn’t have any plan or guidance. She followed her intuition and just kept trying different practices until she found what worked best for her.

Alexia shares deeply about one of the most significant breakthroughs for her, Head Trash Clearing, a method she created based on Reflective Repatterning. She describes what it’s like to do, how it helps her, and how she uses it in her day to day life. She gives some startling examples of the results she’s had with the technique, and why she started a company to share this work with the world.

Alexia admits that she tried many practices that didn’t provide much benefit for her, but she continues to explore and practice, always inspired to find a new, more efficient way to help her live a happier, more fulfilled life.

]]>46:25nodaily,head,trash,practiceClaire Hayes - The Healing Space of EFT (interview)Wed, 03 Sep 2014 11:18:34 +0000Claire's daughter has been a sweet, loving girl, but the combination of hormones, autism and changes in her epilepsy had made her difficult live with, even dangerous. Claire was at the end of her rope, not even sure if she wanted to live. She knew something had to change, but she didn’t know what.

A woman in her community was teaching a class on EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Tapping. Claire was a trained shiatsu practitioner, and honestly, she thought the idea of bring an issue to mind and tapping on yourself while saying words out loud sounded crazy. She respected this woman though and went to a class on weight loss. Even after her first session, she was clear this was what she needed to help her with her situation with her daughter.

Claire continued sessions with the EFT practitioner and was able to find a whole different place of calm and peace to help her daughter. She went on to study EFT on her own, and is now teaching others how to make it a daily practice.

Claire shares her moving and remarkable story of what EFT is, how she shifted her original ideas about EFT, and the many changes she and her daughter have both experienced using this technique.

]]>Claire's daughter has been a sweet, loving girl, but the combination of hormones, autism and changes in her epilepsy had made her difficult live with, even dangerous. Claire was at the end of her rope, not even sure if she wanted to live. She knew something had to change, but she didn’t know what.

A woman in her community was teaching a class on EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Tapping. Claire was a trained shiatsu practitioner, and honestly, she thought the idea of bring an issue to mind and tapping on yourself while saying words out loud sounded crazy. She respected this woman though and went to a class on weight loss. Even after her first session, she was clear this was what she needed to help her with her situation with her daughter.

Claire continued sessions with the EFT practitioner and was able to find a whole different place of calm and peace to help her daughter. She went on to study EFT on her own, and is now teaching others how to make it a daily practice.

Claire shares her moving and remarkable story of what EFT is, how she shifted her original ideas about EFT, and the many changes she and her daughter have both experienced using this technique.

]]>13:40nodaily,practice,cctMelani Marx - Deepening Her Connection to Herself (interview)Wed, 27 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000Melani started writing lists when she was 12. Between being diagnosed with severe scoliosis and entering adolescence, she needed something to feel like she had some control in her life. That’s how her daily practice began.

She gradually shifted from lists to journaling. She would take time for lots of physical movement - swimming, skiing, riding horses. When she had to wear a cast for a year after surgery, she added singing and playing the guitar to help her express all the feelings she was going through.

When she became a single mother of three, she swam and meditated every day as a way to support herself. She developed a walking practice to be present in her body and receive the answers to the continual questions she asks. She learned a powerful energy technique that cleared her PTSD and allowed her to finally live without continual anxiety.

Melani’s daily practice journey has been an amazing, unfolding process of connecting to herself over and over again, in new and different ways as she has changed and grown over the years. Listen as she describes all the different practices she has used, and how they all follow the same thread - an ever deepening connection to herself.

]]>Melani started writing lists when she was 12. Between being diagnosed with severe scoliosis and entering adolescence, she needed something to feel like she had some control in her life. That’s how her daily practice began.

She gradually shifted from lists to journaling. She would take time for lots of physical movement - swimming, skiing, riding horses. When she had to wear a cast for a year after surgery, she added singing and playing the guitar to help her express all the feelings she was going through.

When she became a single mother of three, she swam and meditated every day as a way to support herself. She developed a walking practice to be present in her body and receive the answers to the continual questions she asks. She learned a powerful energy technique that cleared her PTSD and allowed her to finally live without continual anxiety.

Melani’s daily practice journey has been an amazing, unfolding process of connecting to herself over and over again, in new and different ways as she has changed and grown over the years. Listen as she describes all the different practices she has used, and how they all follow the same thread - an ever deepening connection to herself.

Kendra shares some basic instructions to start an art journaling practice. She also walks you through some examples of her own art journal entries, and her process of working with different ideas, images and emotions in her work.

]]>

Kendra shares some basic instructions to start an art journaling practice. She also walks you through some examples of her own art journal entries, and her process of working with different ideas, images and emotions in her work.

]]>11:40noart,daily,practice,journalingKendra Kantor - Art Journaling for Her Wellness (interview)Wed, 20 Aug 2014 13:10:42 +0000Kendra struggled with depression and anxiety for as long as she could remember. A high school art teacher assigned a weekly art journal as part of her class work. Kendra wasn’t thrilled with the process. She didn’t like using other people’s journaling prompts and she felt inhibited knowing she was creating the journal for a grade.

She moved a thousand miles away from home for college, and her struggles got worse. She turned to art journaling again, this time on her own to make sense of what she was experiencing. She ultimately decided to leave college, partly from the clarity she had gained by working on her journals.

Her life continued - she got married and had a son. And her depression and anxiety continued. Her work with her art journals moved into a deeper phase. She’s come to believe that this way of connecting to herself is key to maintaining her well being through her ups and downs.

Kendra graciously shares her experience with art journaling and how it has supported her as she moves through her life with depression and anxiety. She shares how anyone can start a daily art journaling practice to support their own well being, no matter where they are and what they are experiencing.

]]>Kendra struggled with depression and anxiety for as long as she could remember. A high school art teacher assigned a weekly art journal as part of her class work. Kendra wasn’t thrilled with the process. She didn’t like using other people’s journaling prompts and she felt inhibited knowing she was creating the journal for a grade.

She moved a thousand miles away from home for college, and her struggles got worse. She turned to art journaling again, this time on her own to make sense of what she was experiencing. She ultimately decided to leave college, partly from the clarity she had gained by working on her journals.

Her life continued - she got married and had a son. And her depression and anxiety continued. Her work with her art journals moved into a deeper phase. She’s come to believe that this way of connecting to herself is key to maintaining her well being through her ups and downs.

Kendra graciously shares her experience with art journaling and how it has supported her as she moves through her life with depression and anxiety. She shares how anyone can start a daily art journaling practice to support their own well being, no matter where they are and what they are experiencing.

Anne leads a short practice to ground and balance your first chakra. Once you learn the practice, you can use it anytime you feel scattered, anxious or unsure.

]]>

Anne leads a short practice to ground and balance your first chakra. Once you learn the practice, you can use it anytime you feel scattered, anxious or unsure.

]]>02:35noAnne Hayman - Creating a Spiritual Retreat (interview)Wed, 13 Aug 2014 13:08:34 +0000Anne has a strong personal daily practice. She’s been experimenting with different practices since she was a teenager, often without even knowing that was she was doing one. Today, she blends together many practices throughout her day, feeling into what she needs in the moment and then choosing a practice to best support herself in the moment.

But there are times when she wants to go deeper, to take more time and space to reflect, get quiet, and dive deeper than she can during her day-to-day life. Then she creates a spiritual retreat for herself. By consciously creating extended time and space for herself, she is able to open up and find new levels of connection and healing.

Sometimes, these retreats are joyful and light and energizing. Sometimes, they are painful and tiring and deeply healing. They are always incredibly valuable, taking Anne into places she can’t always reach in her regular life.

Anne shares her whole daily practice journey, how she creates her own spiritual retreats, and her best advice for you to create your own spiritual retreat.

]]>Anne has a strong personal daily practice. She’s been experimenting with different practices since she was a teenager, often without even knowing that was she was doing one. Today, she blends together many practices throughout her day, feeling into what she needs in the moment and then choosing a practice to best support herself in the moment.

But there are times when she wants to go deeper, to take more time and space to reflect, get quiet, and dive deeper than she can during her day-to-day life. Then she creates a spiritual retreat for herself. By consciously creating extended time and space for herself, she is able to open up and find new levels of connection and healing.

Sometimes, these retreats are joyful and light and energizing. Sometimes, they are painful and tiring and deeply healing. They are always incredibly valuable, taking Anne into places she can’t always reach in her regular life.

Anne shares her whole daily practice journey, how she creates her own spiritual retreats, and her best advice for you to create your own spiritual retreat.

Everett Young records how he does his daily guitar practice - how he breaks it down and what he focuses on. While he knows he wants to improve, he explains how to focus in the moment and find a calm, meditative state while practicing.

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Everett Young records how he does his daily guitar practice - how he breaks it down and what he focuses on. While he knows he wants to improve, he explains how to focus in the moment and find a calm, meditative state while practicing.

]]>15:31noEverett Young - Guitar as a Daily Practice (interview)Wed, 06 Aug 2014 13:04:37 +0000Everett had always wanted to be a professional guitarist. He played the piano professionally, and recorded an album, but there was always the dream of being a guitartist. His musical career as a pianist stalled out and at the age of 31, he decided to get a Ph.D in political psychology and become a college professor.

The guitar dream never quite went away. He got his Ph.D., and set out on his academic career. Four years ago at the age of 41, he took a temporary teaching position away from his family. With the extra time he had, he decided to take up the guitar again. He did practice more, but still not every day. But he went through a significant shift - he started thinking of himself as a guitarist.

When he got home, he started practicing every day, sometimes up to 6 hours. He formed a band, recorded an album and started playing gigs. He credits his ability to becoming a professional guitarist to his daily practice. Even though he was uneven and inconsistent at first, he kept coming back to it and is now living his dream.

Everett continues to use daily practice to grow and expand as a guitarist, as well as teaching other adults how to do the same thing.

]]>Everett had always wanted to be a professional guitarist. He played the piano professionally, and recorded an album, but there was always the dream of being a guitartist. His musical career as a pianist stalled out and at the age of 31, he decided to get a Ph.D in political psychology and become a college professor.

The guitar dream never quite went away. He got his Ph.D., and set out on his academic career. Four years ago at the age of 41, he took a temporary teaching position away from his family. With the extra time he had, he decided to take up the guitar again. He did practice more, but still not every day. But he went through a significant shift - he started thinking of himself as a guitarist.

When he got home, he started practicing every day, sometimes up to 6 hours. He formed a band, recorded an album and started playing gigs. He credits his ability to becoming a professional guitarist to his daily practice. Even though he was uneven and inconsistent at first, he kept coming back to it and is now living his dream.

Everett continues to use daily practice to grow and expand as a guitarist, as well as teaching other adults how to do the same thing.

]]>01:06:18noJesse Gros - Travel as an Intentional Practice (interview)Wed, 30 Jul 2014 10:53:43 +0000Jesse decided to travel the world for a year. He wanted freedom and adventure and to get out of his own little world. Unexpectedly, after a few months, he got bored. It wasn’t that beautiful fantasy of traveling the world and finding himself. Instead, he was listless and unfocused.

At first, he found some other travelers who were listless and bored, too. They drank beers together and got to be right about how travelling the world wasn’t so great after all. That was fun for about a day. Then Jesse realized that if he stayed with these people, that would be all they would do.

So instead, he bought a ticket to Tibet. He met some people who travelled in a different way - engaging with the local people and not following the tourist track. And he started to have experiences that were deeply moving to him. Approaching travel in this different way helped him find what he really wanted - a way of being fully engaged and connected to the world around him.

Jesse continues to travel with this attitude of practice, as well as lead groups of people on trips so they can connect with the experience of travel in a new way. He also shares how this approach to travel has changed his whole life, not just his time away from home.

]]>Jesse decided to travel the world for a year. He wanted freedom and adventure and to get out of his own little world. Unexpectedly, after a few months, he got bored. It wasn’t that beautiful fantasy of traveling the world and finding himself. Instead, he was listless and unfocused.

At first, he found some other travelers who were listless and bored, too. They drank beers together and got to be right about how travelling the world wasn’t so great after all. That was fun for about a day. Then Jesse realized that if he stayed with these people, that would be all they would do.

So instead, he bought a ticket to Tibet. He met some people who travelled in a different way - engaging with the local people and not following the tourist track. And he started to have experiences that were deeply moving to him. Approaching travel in this different way helped him find what he really wanted - a way of being fully engaged and connected to the world around him.

Jesse continues to travel with this attitude of practice, as well as lead groups of people on trips so they can connect with the experience of travel in a new way. He also shares how this approach to travel has changed his whole life, not just his time away from home.

]]>47:32noJen Trulson - A Guided Practice to Come Home to Yourself (practice)Wed, 23 Jul 2014 14:23:54 +0000Jen Trulson shares a guided meditation practice to help you connect with the feelings you want to have from doing a daily practice. She then guides you through her own process of working with her feelings every day.]]>Jen Trulson shares a guided meditation practice to help you connect with the feelings you want to have from doing a daily practice. She then guides you through her own process of working with her feelings every day.]]>14:32noJen Trulson - Focused on Feeling (interview)Wed, 23 Jul 2014 14:18:02 +0000Jen started her daily practice by looking at her thoughts every day. That was interesting for awhile. Then she learned another practice that focused more on noticing what she was feeling and then choosing how she wanted to feel instead. This sparked something in her. She began to focus first on her feelings, and she found it was a more powerful experience for her.

But her practice didn’t stop there. After awhile, she realized it was still very mind oriented. She took a mind/body coach training program that emphasized connecting to the actual sensations and feelings in the body. This inspired the next shift in her practice - to identify what she was feeling and deliberately sit with those feelings, loving them just as they were in the moment without trying to change them. Instead of her practice being based in her mind, it was now a full mind/body experience.

She still felt resistance to sitting down every morning with herself, because she didn’t always want to experience her irritation or agitation. But then she had another shift - she identified the feelings she wanted to experience from her daily practice. Knowing the power of those feelings and knowing her practice would bring her to that place, now she is eager to sit down every day.

Jen shares her inspired way of working with her feelings, and tells how her practice has evolved and deepened over time to help her create her own magical, blissful, not always perfect life.

]]>Jen started her daily practice by looking at her thoughts every day. That was interesting for awhile. Then she learned another practice that focused more on noticing what she was feeling and then choosing how she wanted to feel instead. This sparked something in her. She began to focus first on her feelings, and she found it was a more powerful experience for her.

But her practice didn’t stop there. After awhile, she realized it was still very mind oriented. She took a mind/body coach training program that emphasized connecting to the actual sensations and feelings in the body. This inspired the next shift in her practice - to identify what she was feeling and deliberately sit with those feelings, loving them just as they were in the moment without trying to change them. Instead of her practice being based in her mind, it was now a full mind/body experience.

She still felt resistance to sitting down every morning with herself, because she didn’t always want to experience her irritation or agitation. But then she had another shift - she identified the feelings she wanted to experience from her daily practice. Knowing the power of those feelings and knowing her practice would bring her to that place, now she is eager to sit down every day.

Jen shares her inspired way of working with her feelings, and tells how her practice has evolved and deepened over time to help her create her own magical, blissful, not always perfect life.

Sharon Alexander leads a 30 minute yoga nidra practice to connect you to your heart’s desire. It is a deep practice with no movement to help you withdraw your senses from the external world and focus on your inner experience. Please set aside 30 minutes where you will not be disturbed to do this practice.

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Sharon Alexander leads a 30 minute yoga nidra practice to connect you to your heart’s desire. It is a deep practice with no movement to help you withdraw your senses from the external world and focus on your inner experience. Please set aside 30 minutes where you will not be disturbed to do this practice.

]]>31:12noSharon Alexander - The Evolution of a Yoga Practice (interview)Wed, 16 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000In 1990, Sharon and a friend decided to take a yoga class at the local recreation center. Sharon was always very physical (skiing, running, biking), and yoga was another interesting physical challenge to explore.

She ended up finding so much more than a physical practice. She studied Anusara yoga when she wanted to explore a more feminine path. She studied yoga therapy when she was called to work one-on-one with people to support them in finding and using the yoga practices that were best for them..

As she continued to evolve, so did her yoga practice. She started to be drawn to the more contemplative aspects of yoga and was moved to study in the Kripalu School. Most recently, she has studied yoga nidra to open up to the meditative yoga practices.

Sharon beautifully shares her story of how her yoga practice for the last 24 years has been an ever evolving series of shifts and explorations and openings for her. Be sure to try her yoga nidra practice to connect to your heart’s desire.

]]>In 1990, Sharon and a friend decided to take a yoga class at the local recreation center. Sharon was always very physical (skiing, running, biking), and yoga was another interesting physical challenge to explore.

She ended up finding so much more than a physical practice. She studied Anusara yoga when she wanted to explore a more feminine path. She studied yoga therapy when she was called to work one-on-one with people to support them in finding and using the yoga practices that were best for them..

As she continued to evolve, so did her yoga practice. She started to be drawn to the more contemplative aspects of yoga and was moved to study in the Kripalu School. Most recently, she has studied yoga nidra to open up to the meditative yoga practices.

Sharon beautifully shares her story of how her yoga practice for the last 24 years has been an ever evolving series of shifts and explorations and openings for her. Be sure to try her yoga nidra practice to connect to your heart’s desire.

]]>46:54noStevie Puckett - See The Difference Between Calm Mind and Mental Chatter (practice)Wed, 09 Jul 2014 00:15:00 +0000Stevie Puckett leads a mini-meditation to help you see, feel and know the difference between your calm, intuitive mind and your mental chatter.]]>Stevie Puckett leads a mini-meditation to help you see, feel and know the difference between your calm, intuitive mind and your mental chatter.]]>01:22noStevie Puckett - A Continuous Practice of Intuition (interview)Wed, 09 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000Stevie was already kind of doing it her whole life. She would get some unexpected insight and share it. Lo and behold, it would be right. She wasn’t trying to connect to her intuition - it just came naturally.

Over time, she noticed another part of herself - the one that liked to analyze things and solve problems. It said it was sensible, rational and important (at least in its own opinion). But Stevie noticed when she was connected to that part, she didn’t really feel her best. She felt pessimistic, worried, and anxious. She preferred to be connected to her more intuitive self. She felt lighter, clearer and more flowing in that place.

She set out to find how to feel good all the time by staying connected to that intuitive self. She challenged herself to stay connected to her intuition 24/7 (or as much as she could manage). As she practiced, it got easier and easier until it is just what she lives now.

Stevie shares the different threads of how her practice developed over time, how her life has changed, and how her practice has positively affected the people around her.

]]>Stevie was already kind of doing it her whole life. She would get some unexpected insight and share it. Lo and behold, it would be right. She wasn’t trying to connect to her intuition - it just came naturally.

Over time, she noticed another part of herself - the one that liked to analyze things and solve problems. It said it was sensible, rational and important (at least in its own opinion). But Stevie noticed when she was connected to that part, she didn’t really feel her best. She felt pessimistic, worried, and anxious. She preferred to be connected to her more intuitive self. She felt lighter, clearer and more flowing in that place.

She set out to find how to feel good all the time by staying connected to that intuitive self. She challenged herself to stay connected to her intuition 24/7 (or as much as she could manage). As she practiced, it got easier and easier until it is just what she lives now.

Stevie shares the different threads of how her practice developed over time, how her life has changed, and how her practice has positively affected the people around her.

]]>38:40noMegan Potter - The Beauty of a Dynamic Morning Practice (interview)Wed, 02 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000Ten years ago, Megan Potter created her own daily morning practice in a very simple way - making a cup of tea, sitting in her favorite chair and watching the birds outside her window. She was never good at doing the same thing every day, and she used that to her advantage to create a customized morning practice for herself.

While she has settled on a few elements to help her enter into her practice time (like lighting incense and candles), her practice changes every day depending on how she’s feeling and what she’s needing. It’s always about connecting to her center and finding what she needs most to best support herself for that day.

And she is totally open to what comes up - go for a walk, sit in meditation, light a candle, have a bath, skip work for the day. She keeps her practice vital and alive by allowing it to live and breath and express itself differently every day.

Megan shares about her beautiful, dynamic practice; her flexible and graceful perspective on practice; and how to start a similar practice for yourself.

]]>Ten years ago, Megan Potter created her own daily morning practice in a very simple way - making a cup of tea, sitting in her favorite chair and watching the birds outside her window. She was never good at doing the same thing every day, and she used that to her advantage to create a customized morning practice for herself.

While she has settled on a few elements to help her enter into her practice time (like lighting incense and candles), her practice changes every day depending on how she’s feeling and what she’s needing. It’s always about connecting to her center and finding what she needs most to best support herself for that day.

And she is totally open to what comes up - go for a walk, sit in meditation, light a candle, have a bath, skip work for the day. She keeps her practice vital and alive by allowing it to live and breath and express itself differently every day.

Megan shares about her beautiful, dynamic practice; her flexible and graceful perspective on practice; and how to start a similar practice for yourself.

]]>37:03noKamali Minter - Practice on the Tantric Path (interview)Wed, 25 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000Kamali was having a hard time connecting with her partner in bed. She wasn’t getting the intimacy, connection and depth she wanted, and she wasn’t able to find a way through it. She heard a tantra teacher speak about how tantra embraces everything, including sexuality, and something unlocked in Kamali - she knew this was something she wanted to pursue.

She started with a home study course, learning the tantric meditations and practicing them at home on her own. She started feeling the changes in her body and she knew she wanted more. She and her partner learned practices they did together, and were able to break through their personal blocks to connect more deeply to themselves and to each other.

Life got challenging and Kamali came to see all the strengths she had gained from these practices: the strength to stay with her challenging emotions, the courage to become more of her authentic self, and the trust that nothing wrong was happening.

After learning and living these tantric practices, she is now stepping to the role of tantra teacher herself, holding space for others to return to the love inside themselves. She continues to use her tantric practices to support herself as she grows and expands to take on this new, more authentic life.

]]>Kamali was having a hard time connecting with her partner in bed. She wasn’t getting the intimacy, connection and depth she wanted, and she wasn’t able to find a way through it. She heard a tantra teacher speak about how tantra embraces everything, including sexuality, and something unlocked in Kamali - she knew this was something she wanted to pursue.

She started with a home study course, learning the tantric meditations and practicing them at home on her own. She started feeling the changes in her body and she knew she wanted more. She and her partner learned practices they did together, and were able to break through their personal blocks to connect more deeply to themselves and to each other.

Life got challenging and Kamali came to see all the strengths she had gained from these practices: the strength to stay with her challenging emotions, the courage to become more of her authentic self, and the trust that nothing wrong was happening.

After learning and living these tantric practices, she is now stepping to the role of tantra teacher herself, holding space for others to return to the love inside themselves. She continues to use her tantric practices to support herself as she grows and expands to take on this new, more authentic life.

]]>35:36noNatanya Lara - Light Meditation (practice)Wed, 18 Jun 2014 00:15:00 +0000Natanya Lara shares a guided visualization, helpful for times when adults or children feel overwhelmed or scattered to help release their excess energy and find a place of calm and center.]]>Natanya Lara shares a guided visualization, helpful for times when adults or children feel overwhelmed or scattered to help release their excess energy and find a place of calm and center.]]>08:53noNatanya Lara - Living Parenting as a Spiritual Practice (interview)Wed, 18 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000Like most people, Natanya found being a parent challenging. While she had wonderful intentions for how she wanted to parent her two sons, she would find herself triggered and not able to hold to those intentions. Add in a major crisis in her marriage, and she wasn’t able to be the present, calm, confident parent that she wanted to be.

She started unintentionally adding simple practices to her day. She took a course in metta (lovingkindness) meditation. A friend taught her a short yoga routine she could fit into spare moments of the day. When the days seemed too much to face, she developed a simple gratitude practice to start her day and shift her energy to a more positive place before her feet even hit the floor.

Eventually, she saw the power of these daily practices, and consciously made them a regular part of her day. She also developed practices she could call on as needed during the day as she felt drained or challenged. She also was able to use some of these practices with her sons to help them move through their challenging times with more ease.

Natanya sees parenting as an intensive (exhausting) spiritual journey, should we choose to accept it. She lives this now through her life as a parent, her personal practices and her work as certified Parenting Coach, supporting other mamas in being present, calm and confident in their parenting.

]]>Like most people, Natanya found being a parent challenging. While she had wonderful intentions for how she wanted to parent her two sons, she would find herself triggered and not able to hold to those intentions. Add in a major crisis in her marriage, and she wasn’t able to be the present, calm, confident parent that she wanted to be.

She started unintentionally adding simple practices to her day. She took a course in metta (lovingkindness) meditation. A friend taught her a short yoga routine she could fit into spare moments of the day. When the days seemed too much to face, she developed a simple gratitude practice to start her day and shift her energy to a more positive place before her feet even hit the floor.

Eventually, she saw the power of these daily practices, and consciously made them a regular part of her day. She also developed practices she could call on as needed during the day as she felt drained or challenged. She also was able to use some of these practices with her sons to help them move through their challenging times with more ease.

Natanya sees parenting as an intensive (exhausting) spiritual journey, should we choose to accept it. She lives this now through her life as a parent, her personal practices and her work as certified Parenting Coach, supporting other mamas in being present, calm and confident in their parenting.

]]>29:05noMichelle Greenman - Life Inventory (practice)Wed, 11 Jun 2014 01:40:45 +0000Michelle Greenman shares a practice to help you identify your one most pressing priority so you can create your daily “get it done” list. Be sure to get a copy of her Life Inventory handout at simpledailypracticeradio.com.]]>Michelle Greenman shares a practice to help you identify your one most pressing priority so you can create your daily “get it done” list. Be sure to get a copy of her Life Inventory handout at simpledailypracticeradio.com.]]>06:35noMichelle Greenman - The Power of Deciding and Doing Every Day (interview)Wed, 11 Jun 2014 01:24:21 +0000It all started with one decision - “I don’t want this anymore. I won’t let this happen anymore.” Michelle was a freshman at university. She kept all sorts of odd hours, hardly ever went out in the sunlight and didn’t eat well. She had a hard time even getting out of bed every day. She was seriously depressed.

But once she made that decision, things started to change. She decided to create a list every day of the things she was going to get done, no matter what. Her first list - “wake up and brush my teeth.” That’s it. But after the haphazard way she had been living, that felt challenging and important - challenging to make even that small of a commitment to her own well-being, and important to following through on her decision to change.

A few days later, after brushing her teeth became easy, she dropped that from the list and added taking a shower. And once that became easy, she added eating breakfast within two hours of waking up. Slowly and steadily, Michelle came out of her depression. She found more and more healthy habits and successfully integrated them into her daily routine. She eventually studied to become a Certified Natural Health and Wellness Coach and now supports women in using this approach to find and follow through on the changes they need to live their best, most healthy lives.

Michelle shares her whole story of going from a depressed university student to a successful business owner and coach who is continually growing and expanding and following her dreams. She also shares her system to find your highest priority right now and how to develop your own “get it done” list so you can build the life of your dreams, one day at a time.

]]>It all started with one decision - “I don’t want this anymore. I won’t let this happen anymore.” Michelle was a freshman at university. She kept all sorts of odd hours, hardly ever went out in the sunlight and didn’t eat well. She had a hard time even getting out of bed every day. She was seriously depressed.

But once she made that decision, things started to change. She decided to create a list every day of the things she was going to get done, no matter what. Her first list - “wake up and brush my teeth.” That’s it. But after the haphazard way she had been living, that felt challenging and important - challenging to make even that small of a commitment to her own well-being, and important to following through on her decision to change.

A few days later, after brushing her teeth became easy, she dropped that from the list and added taking a shower. And once that became easy, she added eating breakfast within two hours of waking up. Slowly and steadily, Michelle came out of her depression. She found more and more healthy habits and successfully integrated them into her daily routine. She eventually studied to become a Certified Natural Health and Wellness Coach and now supports women in using this approach to find and follow through on the changes they need to live their best, most healthy lives.

Michelle shares her whole story of going from a depressed university student to a successful business owner and coach who is continually growing and expanding and following her dreams. She also shares her system to find your highest priority right now and how to develop your own “get it done” list so you can build the life of your dreams, one day at a time.

]]>44:42noCara Gubbins - Grounding and Centering (practice)Wed, 04 Jun 2014 02:33:55 +0000Cara Gubbins shares a short grounding and centering practice, perfect to use in the morning, evening or anytime you want to come into the present moment.]]>Cara Gubbins shares a short grounding and centering practice, perfect to use in the morning, evening or anytime you want to come into the present moment.]]>02:57noCara Gubbins - Finding Her Ground (interview)Wed, 04 Jun 2014 02:27:20 +0000When Cara started her Master's Degree in Spiritual Psychology, she started a formal daily practice to take care of herself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It started with small things, like taking a vitamin and going for a walk. Each month, she would evaluate her practices and decide what to keep and what to change.

Of all the practices she did, the one that she recommends to everyone is grounding. She does it herself twice a day and whenever she realizes she needs it. She starts new clients with grounding. She uses it with her children every night before they go to sleep, and even taught her son to do it while he was in preschool. As Cara says, "To meet me is to know how to set your ground."

Grounding is our basic energetic connection to the earth. Without it, we stay in fight or flight mode, not thinking clearly and not able to make good choices in the moment. To teach you how to ground, Cara has generously provided a short recorded grounding and centering practice below.

Cara describes how her daily practice has evolved over the last five years, how she is able to stay with it even with the unexpected twists and turns of life, and how grounding is still the one thing she turns to over and over again to help make all the other pieces fall into place.

]]>When Cara started her Master's Degree in Spiritual Psychology, she started a formal daily practice to take care of herself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It started with small things, like taking a vitamin and going for a walk. Each month, she would evaluate her practices and decide what to keep and what to change.

Of all the practices she did, the one that she recommends to everyone is grounding. She does it herself twice a day and whenever she realizes she needs it. She starts new clients with grounding. She uses it with her children every night before they go to sleep, and even taught her son to do it while he was in preschool. As Cara says, "To meet me is to know how to set your ground."

Grounding is our basic energetic connection to the earth. Without it, we stay in fight or flight mode, not thinking clearly and not able to make good choices in the moment. To teach you how to ground, Cara has generously provided a short recorded grounding and centering practice below.

Cara describes how her daily practice has evolved over the last five years, how she is able to stay with it even with the unexpected twists and turns of life, and how grounding is still the one thing she turns to over and over again to help make all the other pieces fall into place.

]]>34:35noLaurie Foley - A Practice to Find God (interview)Wed, 28 May 2014 12:25:31 +0000In June 2013, Laurie Foley was 11 months into her journey with ovarian cancer. She thought she would have been done with the treatment by then. She was bored and frustrated with the chemo and surgeries and found that her faith had been challenged by her whole experience. She describes it as being on a canoe trip and being in the middle of a long, flat lake - nothing to do but to keep paddling with no sense of being carried and no end in sight. She wanted to know, "Where was God in all this? Where was God on this long, flat lake?"

She got an inspiration to write a meditation a day for a month - to sit and listen and write. That sounded good. Her faith had been an important part of her life for a long time and she loved writing her blog for her business. And then she got the inspiration to share it on Facebook. While she had shared her writing for her business and even a blog about her experiences with cancer, she wasn't sure about sharing something so deep and personal about her doubts and fears about God and her whole connection to him.

Guided by her intuition or God (she wasn't sure what to call it), she spent time every day in July sitting quietly, contemplating what was coming up, writing it out and sharing it on Facebook. Listen as she shares what she learned (and it wasn't what she expected) and how the experience is still with her today.

]]>In June 2013, Laurie Foley was 11 months into her journey with ovarian cancer. She thought she would have been done with the treatment by then. She was bored and frustrated with the chemo and surgeries and found that her faith had been challenged by her whole experience. She describes it as being on a canoe trip and being in the middle of a long, flat lake - nothing to do but to keep paddling with no sense of being carried and no end in sight. She wanted to know, "Where was God in all this? Where was God on this long, flat lake?"

She got an inspiration to write a meditation a day for a month - to sit and listen and write. That sounded good. Her faith had been an important part of her life for a long time and she loved writing her blog for her business. And then she got the inspiration to share it on Facebook. While she had shared her writing for her business and even a blog about her experiences with cancer, she wasn't sure about sharing something so deep and personal about her doubts and fears about God and her whole connection to him.

Guided by her intuition or God (she wasn't sure what to call it), she spent time every day in July sitting quietly, contemplating what was coming up, writing it out and sharing it on Facebook. Listen as she shares what she learned (and it wasn't what she expected) and how the experience is still with her today.

]]>39:18noElena Lipson - Practicing Divine Self-Care (interview)Tue, 20 May 2014 22:23:05 +0000Elena has done different daily practices since she was a teen, including exercise, yoga, inspirational ready and eating well. Even with that basis in place, things shifted when she become a mother. There was this new person to focus her energy on, and she wasn't clear how to show up as this new version of herself and care for herself and her child at the same time.

She had already been coaching for many years, and was drawn to yoga to help her find her balance. She started a yoga teacher training. At first, she started with just 5 minutes of yoga in the morning. And that gradually become 10 minutes. She has gradually create a wonderful self-care ritual for herself that encompasses all aspects of her being - mental, physical, emotional and spiritual.

Elena is now sharing her self-care rituals with other mamas so they can show up as this new version of themselves and still feel authentically themselves. She beautifully describes how to start slowly and gently with creating a self-care routine and focusing on finding what works for you. She emphasizes taking each step with love and compassion, and keeping your promises to yourself on these smaller actions so you can show up for yourself more fully each day.

]]>Elena has done different daily practices since she was a teen, including exercise, yoga, inspirational ready and eating well. Even with that basis in place, things shifted when she become a mother. There was this new person to focus her energy on, and she wasn't clear how to show up as this new version of herself and care for herself and her child at the same time.

She had already been coaching for many years, and was drawn to yoga to help her find her balance. She started a yoga teacher training. At first, she started with just 5 minutes of yoga in the morning. And that gradually become 10 minutes. She has gradually create a wonderful self-care ritual for herself that encompasses all aspects of her being - mental, physical, emotional and spiritual.

Elena is now sharing her self-care rituals with other mamas so they can show up as this new version of themselves and still feel authentically themselves. She beautifully describes how to start slowly and gently with creating a self-care routine and focusing on finding what works for you. She emphasizes taking each step with love and compassion, and keeping your promises to yourself on these smaller actions so you can show up for yourself more fully each day.

]]>17:13noHailey Terrell - Practicing to Get Her Life Back (interview)Tue, 13 May 2014 20:51:50 +0000Two years ago, at the age of 35, Hailey had a stroke. She was in the hospital for five weeks, and when she was released, she had no idea how much of her former abilities she would be able to recover. She was sleeping 15 hours a day, and could barely walk without feeling exhausted.

She gradually developed her own daily practices to support her recovery. She did physical practices to increase her stamina and support the healing of her brain. She did meditative practices to support her emotional and spiritual well-being. While her practices ultimately grew to two hours a day, she was dedicated to doing it to support her own healing.

Now Hailey is almost fully recovered from her stroke, and continues to do a smaller set of her practices. She candidly shares the challenges of keeping to a practice now that she is back to her busy, regular, crazy life. She also shares why she is on a mission to help women look and feel their best using all natural methods.

]]>Two years ago, at the age of 35, Hailey had a stroke. She was in the hospital for five weeks, and when she was released, she had no idea how much of her former abilities she would be able to recover. She was sleeping 15 hours a day, and could barely walk without feeling exhausted.

She gradually developed her own daily practices to support her recovery. She did physical practices to increase her stamina and support the healing of her brain. She did meditative practices to support her emotional and spiritual well-being. While her practices ultimately grew to two hours a day, she was dedicated to doing it to support her own healing.

Now Hailey is almost fully recovered from her stroke, and continues to do a smaller set of her practices. She candidly shares the challenges of keeping to a practice now that she is back to her busy, regular, crazy life. She also shares why she is on a mission to help women look and feel their best using all natural methods.

]]>33:35noLisa Melli Gillespie - Opening to YES! (interview)Wed, 07 May 2014 02:09:54 +0000Lisa was reading a magazine one day. The editors asked a simple question: "What was your most unusual goal?" One answer in particular stuck Lisa - have a 101 new experiences in 1001 days. Something about that just hit her. She had a busy family life and a career in transition. But this - this sounded like something fun, a lark, a "why not do it?"

Lisa started her goal on January 1, 2010. It started simply. She was out taking a hike with her family, and they saw someone juggling tangerines. Lisa said, "That looks interesting." The man said, "Do you want to learn how to do it?" And Lisa said "yes." And then she said "yes" to belly dancing lessons. And then she said "yes" to sending her first IM. And then she said "yes" to coordinating a coffee fundraiser. And she kept saying "yes" to new experiences for the next 1000 days.

Some of the "yeses" were not worth repeating (like the juggling lessons). Some of the "yeses" lead to even more "yeses" (like entering the Denver County Fair and then learning to milk a goat). Some "yeses" were only important to her (like riding a bike in a skirt), but the whole process - the whole way of looking at her day, changed Lisa's life profoundly. She found herself opening so much more to life, not even realizing where she had been shut down before.

Hear Lisa talk about her wide variety of experiences, what she's learned about doing a challenge like this and how it has changed her life.

]]>Lisa was reading a magazine one day. The editors asked a simple question: "What was your most unusual goal?" One answer in particular stuck Lisa - have a 101 new experiences in 1001 days. Something about that just hit her. She had a busy family life and a career in transition. But this - this sounded like something fun, a lark, a "why not do it?"

Lisa started her goal on January 1, 2010. It started simply. She was out taking a hike with her family, and they saw someone juggling tangerines. Lisa said, "That looks interesting." The man said, "Do you want to learn how to do it?" And Lisa said "yes." And then she said "yes" to belly dancing lessons. And then she said "yes" to sending her first IM. And then she said "yes" to coordinating a coffee fundraiser. And she kept saying "yes" to new experiences for the next 1000 days.

Some of the "yeses" were not worth repeating (like the juggling lessons). Some of the "yeses" lead to even more "yeses" (like entering the Denver County Fair and then learning to milk a goat). Some "yeses" were only important to her (like riding a bike in a skirt), but the whole process - the whole way of looking at her day, changed Lisa's life profoundly. She found herself opening so much more to life, not even realizing where she had been shut down before.

Hear Lisa talk about her wide variety of experiences, what she's learned about doing a challenge like this and how it has changed her life.

]]>23:41noElsie Escobar - The Practices of a Mama, a Yogini and a Modern Digital Jedi (interview)Tue, 29 Apr 2014 10:00:00 +0000Elsie is a full time mother of two girls. She is also working to bring her big work into the world: helping people integrate holistic living and technology. She has been providing free yoga classes through her podcast Elsie's Yoga Class since 2006, and she is a co-host of a podcast about podcasting, The Feed.

So, how does she have time for a daily practice?

Elsie shares the first practice she started with, even with two little girls to care for, and why it's so important. She also shares the other practices she's added into her routine and how she manages them with all her other activities.

Elsie shares how she stopped beating herself up for the practices she wasn't doing, and how she's made her whole life her practice. Elsie also explains the simple practices she does with her kids to help them get grounded in their bodies so they can be more present and make better choices.

Elsie shows that starting small, where you are, and doing what you can makes all the difference in the world.

]]>Elsie is a full time mother of two girls. She is also working to bring her big work into the world: helping people integrate holistic living and technology. She has been providing free yoga classes through her podcast Elsie's Yoga Class since 2006, and she is a co-host of a podcast about podcasting, The Feed.

So, how does she have time for a daily practice?

Elsie shares the first practice she started with, even with two little girls to care for, and why it's so important. She also shares the other practices she's added into her routine and how she manages them with all her other activities.

Elsie shares how she stopped beating herself up for the practices she wasn't doing, and how she's made her whole life her practice. Elsie also explains the simple practices she does with her kids to help them get grounded in their bodies so they can be more present and make better choices.

Elsie shows that starting small, where you are, and doing what you can makes all the difference in the world.

]]>28:29noKirk Bowers - Practicing Personal Breakthroughs (interview)Mon, 28 Apr 2014 18:00:00 +0000Kirk read the book Talent is Overrated last year, and it changed his life. He had always believed that he was naturally good at some things (puzzles, problem solving) and not very good at some other things (piano, golf). What he read changed his perspective forever. Getting better at an activity depends on practicing in a certain deliberate way, not on your initial abilities.

Kirk set out to test this idea. He had been practicing piano, always on the verge of quitting, expecting to never make much progress. He worked with his piano teacher to break down his practice in a new way, and he had a major breakthrough in his ability to play. Now, his morning piano practice is his daily meditation, and he notices his day isn't quite the same when he misses that time.

Kirk was inspired to continue his experiments, deliberately practicing golf, programming and now, starting his own business as the Coding Handyman. Listen as Kirk shares how he has come to love his daily practices and all the transformations he has experienced from them.

]]>Kirk read the book Talent is Overrated last year, and it changed his life. He had always believed that he was naturally good at some things (puzzles, problem solving) and not very good at some other things (piano, golf). What he read changed his perspective forever. Getting better at an activity depends on practicing in a certain deliberate way, not on your initial abilities.

Kirk set out to test this idea. He had been practicing piano, always on the verge of quitting, expecting to never make much progress. He worked with his piano teacher to break down his practice in a new way, and he had a major breakthrough in his ability to play. Now, his morning piano practice is his daily meditation, and he notices his day isn't quite the same when he misses that time.

Kirk was inspired to continue his experiments, deliberately practicing golf, programming and now, starting his own business as the Coding Handyman. Listen as Kirk shares how he has come to love his daily practices and all the transformations he has experienced from them.

]]>31:38noMarie Dotts - Learning to Flow from Center (interview)Sun, 27 Apr 2014 18:00:00 +0000Starting as a teenager, Marie has been on a lifelong journey to answer the questions, "Who and what am I really?" and "How do I flow from that truer center within myself?" In this interview, she shares how that process has unfolded for her over the years, and how her two current practices support her in her ever deepening journey.]]>Starting as a teenager, Marie has been on a lifelong journey to answer the questions, "Who and what am I really?" and "How do I flow from that truer center within myself?" In this interview, she shares how that process has unfolded for her over the years, and how her two current practices support her in her ever deepening journey.]]>27:32no